Himalayan News Service

New Delhi, January 7

Indian cable operators criticised the government for reviewing the rollout of the conditional access system (CAS) in the national capital, claiming move was initiated with an eye on forthcoming general elections.

"From the recent media reports, it seems the government is considering scrapping CAS by passing an ordinance to this effect," said Roop Sharma, president of the Cable Operators Federation of India (COFI).

"We feel that this move may have come as a consequence to the decision to pre-pone general elections," said Sharma in a press statement issued here.

"Pursuing with CAS may result in a fallout with the pay channel broadcasters, whose support is crucial to the government in view of the elections," she said, adding the government must keep the industry free from "political influences."

The government last week gave clear signals CAS would be deferred in Delhi, with information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad saying the fate of the pay TV system would be decided after a review of the market situation.

Prasad said he was anguished to learn that cable operators were pressurising people to adopt CAS, which was touted as a consumer-friendly system for millions of satellite TV households in India.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Vijay Kumar Malhotra said the rollout of the pay TV regime in the national capital was likely to be postponed indefinitely as the system was not "consumer friendly".

The development came close on the heels of a Delhi High Court decision refusing to stay the implementation of CAS in Delhi. The court, however, said it would review the situation after three months.

"It is an established fact that CAS will bring in transparency in the industry, more revenues to the government, and more freedom of choice to consumers," said Vikki Choudhry, president of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.

"The media has been constantly listing out the negative fallouts of a poorly implemented CAS thereby confusing the general public about the system itself," he added.

"CAS is not detrimental to the interest of the consumer, it is the faulty manner in which it is being implemented that is hurting most," Choudhry said.

The cable operators said the government must introduce some "price

regulatory guidelines and put a check on the advertising revenues" of all

pay channels for the smooth rollout

of CAS. "Unfortunately, the forthcoming elections makes it pertinent that the government keep these broadcasters happy as their support plays a vital role in the power of politics," said the statement.