[ By Bobby Anthony ]The Bombay High Court has clubbed a writ petition filed by local cable operators (LCOs), challenging the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), with similar petitions filed by broadcasters.After hearing the counsel the Digital Cable Operators’ Association of Mumbai (DCOAM) and Maharashtra Cable Operators’ Foundation (MCOF), Justice A A Sayed decided to club...
The Bombay High Court has clubbed a writ petition filed by local cable operators (LCOs), challenging the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), with similar petitions filed by broadcasters.
After hearing the counsel the Digital Cable Operators’ Association of Mumbai (DCOAM) and Maharashtra Cable Operators’ Foundation (MCOF), Justice A A Sayed decided to club the matter as both LCOs and the broadcasters challenged the amendments to the tariff order, which TRAI had notified on January 1, 2020.
This was despite cable operators' lawyer Shardul Singh’s argument that though both broadcasters and cable operators were not in agreement about the amendments (NTO 2.0), the reasons or grounds are totally different.
The LCOs are concerned about the new rates and limits to the network capacity fee (NCF) under NTO 2.0, as it is their sole source of revenue. Broadcasters and other stakeholders, however, have multiple sources of revenue, Singh argued.
In the new amendments, which will come into effect on April 1, TRAI has capped monthly NCF at Rs 160 for more than 200 channels, while also allowing a hefty 60% discount on second and third TVs in mulyi-TV homes. TRAI has also increased total number of channels from 100 to 200, allowed under Rs 130 NCF.
TRAI is yet to file its reply in the matter while the petitioners feel that these amendments are bereft of any commercial logic.
However, Justice Sayed decided to hear the arguments of both LCOs and the broadcasters, together.