GUWAHATI, Sept 5 � With threat looming on their existence due to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)�s recommendation to close analog cable TV networks by 2013, the cable TV operators of Assam have sought the help of the State Government to bail them out of the situation.
A meeting of cable TV operators of Assam was convened today by Greater Guwahati Cable TV Operators Association (GGCTOA) at Guwahati, which resolved to ask the State Government to exempt their service from Assam Amusement and Betting Tax (AA&BT), till it goes digital.
Operators from different parts of State took part in the meeting.
�Though cable TV industry falls under the small scale industries sector, it is yet to get the desired benefits from the Government. Giving employment to a number of local youth across the State and airing local TV channels, the cable TV industry is facing an uneven competition from the multinational DTH operators, who enjoy all the benefits from the Government,� said Sanjay Deb a cable operator from Upper Assam, while addressing the media here. He stressed on the fact that the State Government should take steps for recovery of AA&BT from the DTH service providers also.
Rajesh Sarma, president of GGCTOA mentioned that the State Government should take up the matter of immediate implementation of the Conditional Access System (CAS) with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The CAS gives the consumers a facility to pay only for the channels of their choice.
The service providers would observe a cable black out programme from 6 pm to 10 pm on September 7 at first phase and from 5 pm to 10 pm from September 12 to 14.
The association also demanded the State Government to provide infrastructural and financial co-operation to the cable operators to shift to digital mode before the TRAI deadline. �Assam Cable Communications (ACC), an initiative by the local entrepreneurs has already been working in the field of digitalization of cable network at a very subsidized rate and has won accolades nationally and internationally for being the only Digital Head-end in the entire Northeast. The Government should promote such entrepreneurs,� Deb mentioned.
Other demands of the association include formation of monitoring and implementation committee at State level for implementation of TRAI and Cable TV Act, comprising cable TV operators and Government officials.
