IndianMascot
Core Member
Three months ago, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) revised the tariff rates for non-addressable cable TV areas which allowed a rise of 27.5 per cent in two stages. While this was for non-commercial subscribers, the regulator has now issued a consultation paper asking comments from stakeholders for the same with respect to the commercial subscribers.
The consultation paper states that the tariff for commercial subscribers has been an issue since 2005 when associations of hotels and restaurants challenged the various tariffs imposed by broadcasters in the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). Even though the TDSAT disposed off the petition stating that such organisations cannot be called consumers, it asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to think about whether or not to impose a tariff regulation on them.
While the TRAI came up with two definitions for ‘ordinary cable subscriber’ and ‘commercial cable subscriber’, the appeal was challenged in the Supreme Court which then directed TRAI to frame separate tariff ceilings for non-commercial subscribers.