After making Cable TV digitisation mandatory, the government is now looking to put a check on monopolies in the cable television sector. Newly appointed Information & Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari has said the ministry will be taking the help of the telecom regulatory body, TRAI for this purpose.
“I have requested the ministry to make a reference to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to ensure that monopolies do not continue to exist in the marketplace, because monopolies are the anti-thesis of choice,” Manish Tewari is quoted as saying.
According to the minister, the ministry will ask TRAI to monitor the monopolies across local, state and regional levels. The body will also look into the cable television industry. Highlighting the success of cable digitisation campaign in the four metros, the minister revealed about 7.49 million set up boxes have been installed the first phase.
Moreover, 96 percent of digitisation has been accomplished, and when including the homes with DTH connections, the figure soars to 97 percent. Tewari says the second phase would include 38 cities in 15 states by March 31, 2013. Tewari also sought cooperation from the state governments, which he thinks is crucial for the success of the second phase.
Source: Times of India
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