NEW DELHI, Jan 18: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has approached the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for its recommendations on regulating local cable TV channels that have mushroomed all over the country.
It has also asked TRAI if there was a need to put a cap on the total number of ground-based channels operated by a single multi-system operator/cable operator.
The I&B Ministry has said that instances have come to its notice that some cable operators are into transmission of local channels over wider geographical area and thus operating as state/regional/national channels like permitted private satellite TV channels without any permission.
In its reference, the Ministry has asked TRAI to examine whether there was a need to prescribe separate eligibility criteria for cable operators transmitting local news and current affairs channels at their level.
It has also sought TRAI’s specific recommendations with regard to eligibility criteria, terms and conditions including foreign investment levels, net-worth criteria and requirement of security clearance for such channels.
The regulation of such local or ground-based channels operating at the level of Local Cable Operators (LCOs)/Multi System Operators (MSOs) has assumed significance in view of the digitisation of cable TV sector being implemented in the entire country in a phased time bound manner. (PTI)
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