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DTH, cable firms push for tech-neutral rules in India's telecom regime
DTH and cable operators urge India's government to apply common rules across satellite, cable, and internet platforms as it drafts new authorization guidelines. Long-pending TRAI recommendations could reshape the pay-TV sector.
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India's direct-to-home and cable television operators are asking the government to adopt technology-neutral regulations for the sector. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is drafting new authorization guidelines for television distribution. Industry representatives want satellite, cable, and internet platforms to fall under the same set of rules.
The push comes as the pay-TV market continues to shrink. The companies are urging the government to finally implement recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India that have been pending for years. Those recommendations, they said, would fix uneven regulatory treatment across different distribution platforms.
The new authorization regime would replace the current system that licenses DTH, cable, and internet protocol TV separately under different ministry orders. The government has not set a timeline for releasing the draft guidelines.