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6
March 2017
Aimed
at protecting consumers' interest, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) on Monday launched a slew of measures to provide them with fair deal to
watch TV channels, ensuring transparency and orderly growth of the broadcasting
sector. The Total Investment &
Insurance Solutions
The
major features include mandatory display of all channels and their rates,
choice of subscription to a-la-carte channels (can be ordered as separate
items) and bouquets of channels (combo packages), separate bouquet for pay
channels and free-to-air (FTA) channels and standardisation of dissemination of
information related to services through customer care. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
The
measures also make it mandatory for broadcasters and distributors to seek
consumers' permission for any change in the subscribed packages and display of
Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) for all channels including those which are not
subscribed. The Total Investment &
Insurance Solutions
"The
move is to provide consumers better choices, better prices and transparent
system. It will help them to find out what is for free and where they can get
fair and better deal," TRAI Chairman R.S. Sharma said here at a press
meet. The Total Investment &
Insurance Solutions
These
measures will be implemented in phases in the next six months' time.
TRAI's
Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Eight) Tariff Order, 2017,
seeks broadcasters to declare their channels as Pay or FTA and they have been
given complete flexibility to declare maximum retail price (MRP) of the Pay
channels as long as being provided to consumers individually. The Total Investment & Insurance
Solutions
Also,
broadcasters can offer bouquets of its Pay channels and declare MRP of
bouquets, However, the MRP for bouquets of Pay channel will not be less than 85
per cent of the sum of MRP of the a-la-carte Pay channels. The Total Investment & Insurance
Solutions
"It
will allow consumers to choose channels of their choice easily," said S.K.
Gupta, Principal Advisor to the TRAI. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
Gupta
further said Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) channels will
not be allowed to put in one bouquet. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
TRAI's
Telecommunications (Broadcasting and Cable) Services, Standards of Quality of
Services and Consumer Protection (Addressable System) Regulations, 2017,
envisages mandatory display of all channels and their MRP for easy navigation
and identification by subscribers.
Also,
broadcasters will not be allowed to change placement of any channel (number if
channel) for certain period of time. The
Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
The
regulation said distributor cannot charge a subscriber over Rs 130 for initial
one hundred SD channels per month and a subscriber will be free to choose any
FTA channel, Pay channel or bouquet channels. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
"No
separate charges, other than the network capacity fee, to be paid by subscriber
for subscribing to FTA channels or bouquet of FTA channels," reads one of
the regulations.
Meanwhile,
the TRAI said any channel of MRP of more than Rs 19 per month shall not form
part of any bouquet. The Total
Investment & Insurance Solutions
Gupta
said it will lead to competition to provide better content by
broadcasters.
The
TRAI also released Interconnection Regulations for Broadcasting Services
related to Television that will regulate interconnection arrangements for
broadcasting services, placement of TV channels in the EPF.The Total Investment & Insurance
Solutions
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