On the 1st of January, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) made some changes in its framework for cable and broadcasting services.
According to the new regulations, consumers can enjoy more channels at a lower rate. TRAI revised the rules and regulations of 2017 keeping in mind the consumers’ interests. The cable connection would start at price of Rs. 160 monthly for all the free to air channels.
TRAI also decided to charge a maximum of 40 % of declared Network Capacity Fee (NCF) if a person has more than one cable connection in their name. The maximum NCF charge will now be Rs. 130, excluding taxes, for 200 channels.
In its official statement, TRAI said, “One, the sum of the à la carte rates of the pay channels (MRP) forming part of a bouquet shall in no case exceed one and a half times the rate of the bouquet of which such pay channels are a part; and two, the a la carte rates of each pay channel (MRP), forming part of a bouquet, shall in no case exceed three times the average rate of a pay channel of the bouquet of which such pay channel is a part.”
Besides, the channels, which were declared mandatory by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, would not be included while counting the number of channels for the NCF.
In addition, TRAI also allowed Distributions Platform Operators (DPOs) to give discounts on subscriptions lasting 6 months or more.
TRAI asked all the broadcasters to publish the revised prices of à la carte channels and bouquets on their websites by the 15th of January, 2020, whereas the DPOs are required to update the prices on their website by the 30th of January, 2020.
The new TRAI regulations would come into effect from the 1st of March, 2020.
Stay tuned for further updates.
