TRAI plea against Calcutta HC after ban of new fee system

USNMix Report: TRAI plea against court bar on new timing
of new broadcasting fee system.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) filed a petition for consideration on Wednesday at Calcutta High Court after the ban of the timing of the new fee system of television channels. The Calcutta High Court had banned the execution of the new system on Tuesday, February 1. A bench of Justice Arindam Sinha, while hearing the petition of about 80 local cable operators (LCOs), deferred the deadline till 18 February. The court asked TRAI that the terms and conditions can be considered again.

Notification effected nationwide

TRAI filed a petition seeking withdrawal of the verdict saying that no representative of the court was present at the court's judgment on his notification. He said that the effect of this notification is nationwide and its deadline is very close to February one.

Extra Advocate General Kaushik Chanda said that keeping in view TRAI's stand, LCOs and multi-system operators (MSOs) have the option of agreeing with the mutual consent or the agreement to share the revenue under TRAI provisions. He said that under the provision of revenue sharing, it has been ensured that the MSOs did not get more than 55 percent and the LCOs had less than 45 percent.

However, local cable operators claim that the provisions for revenue sharing are in favor of multi-system operators (MSOs). TRAI has prepared a new fee system for broadcasters and cable operators. Under this arrangement, consumers will have the freedom to choose their preferred channel. He will only pay the fee for the channel he will choose.