When CNN first broadcast the Gulf War into India in 1991, millions of unemployed young people found that stringing wires over trees to cable connect homes was the best way to make money.
It went on till 1995 as the archaic Indian Posts and Telegraph Act defined broadcasting and it was totally unprepared for a signal coming from outside the country. There was nothing to suggest whether what was happening was legal or not. That is when a controversy broke over ESPN's attempt to uplink from India to telecast a cricket match. In the litigation that followed, the Supreme Court ruled that 'The airwaves are not a monopoly of the government'. The result was the Cable Networks Act, regularizing what was technically an illegal business.
The Act:
An Act to regulate the operation of cable television networks in the country and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The act says that no person shall operate a cable television network unless he is registered as a cable operator under this Act. The act also lays down certain guidelines for transmission:
1. Programme code: Any programme which is not in conformity with the prescribed programme code can’t be transmitted.
2. Advertisement code: Any advertisement unless such advertisement is in conformity with the prescribed advertisement code can’t be transmitted.
3. Maintenance of register: Every cable operator is to maintain a register in the prescribed form carrying details of programmes (in brief) transmitted or retransmitted during a month. Such register has to be maintained for a period of one year after the actual transmission or re-transmission of the said programmes.
4. Compulsory transmission of two Doordarshan channels:
(A) Every cable operator shall retransmit
(i) Channels operated by or on behalf of Parliament in the manner and name as may be specified by the CentralGovernment by notification in the Official Gazette;
(ii) At least two Doordarshan terrestrial Channels and one regional language channel of a State in the Prime band, in satellite mode on frequencies other than those carrying terrestrial frequencies
(B) The Prasar Bharti may, by notification, specify the number and name of every Doordarshan channel to be retransmitted by cable operators in their cable service and the manner of reception and retransmission of such channels.
5. Use of standard equipment in cable Television network: Any equipment in cable television network can’t be used be unless it conforms to the Indian Standard in accordance with the provisions of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986.
6. Cable Television network not to interfere with any telecommunication system: - The cable Television network being operated should not interfere, in any way, with the functioning of the authorized telecommunication systems.
The act lays down provisions to seize and confiscate equipments in case of failure to follow the above rules and regulations. The cable operator has right to appeal against any such seizure or confiscation.
Finally the government retains the right to prohibit transmission of certain programmes in public interest if it thinks that the laid provisions are being violated. It also has the power to prohibit operation of cable television network in public interest.
By an amendment bill brought in 2002 the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 became the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act 2002. By this amendment bill a new section 4A was added and section 9, 11, 16 and 22 were amended. Many amendments have been brought in the bill from time to time. Following were the main changes brought by the 2002 amendment:
(1). Transmission of programmes through addressable systems, etc:
Where the Central Government is satisfied that it is necessary in the public interest to do so, it may make it obligatory to transmit or retransmit programme of any pay channel through an addressable system.
(2) By the same logic it may also specify one or more free to air channels to be included in the package of channels genre wise for providing a programme mix of entertainment, information, and education, and such other programmes.
(3) It may also specify the maximum amount which a cable operator may demand from the subscriber including different maximum amounts for different States, cities, towns or areas as the case may be.
(4) Every cable operator shall publicize, in the prescribed manner, to the subscribers the subscription rates and the periodic intervals after which such subscriptions are payable for receiving each pay channel provided by such cable operator.
(5) The cable operator shall not require any subscriber to have a receiver set of a particular type to receive signals of cable television network.
(6) Every cable operator shall submit a report to the Central Government in the prescribed form and manner containing the information regarding:-
(i) The number of total subscribers:
(ii) Subscription rates:
(iii) Number of subscribers receiving programmes transmitted in basic service tier or particular programme or set of programmes transmitted on pay channel.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the ad hoc broadcasting regulator —has been proposing amendment in the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, and the telecom licensing agreement. This will enable viewers watch, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), which is television that can be viewed on the computer if one has a broadband connection. Last year TRAI proposed a tariff for cable TV and DTH (direct to home) subscribers.
As of now there are 60,000 cable operators, 6,000 multi-system operators, 173 channels and seven DTH operators. There has been a growing chorus that the highly fractionalized cable TV distribution market in particular and the broadcasting industry, in general, needs a dedicated regulation regime, not only to quickly form regulations and settle disputes but also to save interest of the viewers.
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