Hyderabad: Cable operators protest against hike in charges

Hyderabad: The Old City Cable TV Operators Welfare Association warned on Tuesday that it would black out the telecast of paid channels and stop payments to Multiple System Operators (MSOs) if they were forced to pay in accordance with the new regulations announced by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Addressing a protest meeting here, association president Muqtar Ahmed said implementation of the tariff regime approved by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appe-llate Tribunal would create problems for cable TV operators and also burden viewers. 

He said cable TV operators in the Old City were charging Rs 150 to Rs 200 per month. “The new regime would push up the rate to Rs 600  as we have to pay an average of almost Rs 550 to the MSO. At present, cable TV operators are paying Rs 65 per box,” Mr Ahmed said. He alleged that there was “match-fixing” between broadcasters and MSOs. 

Mr Mohd Jahangir, association joint secretary, said the new policy would ruin the sector. There were 3.5 lakh operators nationwide, and about 1 crore families depended on the business, he said.

He appealed to the government to review the new tariff. At best the MSOs could increase the charges by not more than 5 per cent of the current charges, Mr Jahangir said.