TRAI wants consumers to delete unwanted channels; give more freedom to choose channels

New Delhi: A few months after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) mandated the New Tariff Order (NTO) for Cable TV and Direct To Home (DTH) operators in India as part of the New Regulatory Framework, it is safe to say that the roll-out has been far from smooth. 

The regulatory authority has been actively sending messages to Cable TV and DTH subscribers in a bid to make them go for the new a-la-carte system and avail the benefits. TRAI says that the new a-la-carte system can help viewers get rid of unnecessary TV channels they don’t watch. Instead, they can pay for only those channels that they want to see. 

With the a-la-carte system, TRAI says that viewers can  get more control over their monthly TV bills and they can avoid unnecessary expenses     on TV bills.

However, while the a-la-carte system promotes ‘pay-for-what-you-see’ idea, it did have some issues with its pricing strategy. Many complained of high Network Capacity Fee (NCF) that prevented them from choosing those channels. Instead, these consumers opt for the operator bouquets that come with high discounts.

The authority is now trying to revise the Network Capacity Fee based on the regions. There is no clarity on how this is going to be implemented. Given that subscribers in most rural regions will stick to only the basics with all the free-to-air channels, TRAI could reduce the NCF in these regions in a bid to promote the new regulations among these subscribers.