TRAI orders MSOs and payTV Broadcasters to file interconnect agreements

Taking  note of many complaints from MSOs and Independent MSOs that broadcasters show undue reluctance in signing the interconnect agreements with them, TRAI has sent a directives to all ‘Pay’ Broadcasters and MSOs to provide them details of all interconnect agreements signed till date. This includes all agreements signed between Broadcasters and MSOs and MSOs and LCOs with details of service areas and validity of the agreements.

The directives were sent individually to all pay broadcasters/ aggregators and MSOs on 6 May.

The direction has been sent under Section 13, read with sub-clauses (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) of clause (b) of sub-section (1) of Section 11 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act 1997 for implementation of Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems.

Regulation 5(3) of the regulations provides that every broadcaster has to, within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt of request from the multi system operator, enter into an interconnection agreement or modify the existing interconnect agreement in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Reference Interconnect Offer published under these regulations or as may be mutually agreed.

Regulation 5(6) provides that it shall be mandatory for the broadcasters of pay channels to reduce the terms and conditions of the interconnection agreements into writing; and Regulation 5(7) provides that no broadcaster of pay channels shall make available signals of TV channels to any multi system operator without entering into a written interconnection agreement.

Prior to this notice, TRAI had held meetings with broadcasters and MSOs on 22 March, 2 April, 12 April and 18 April on issues relating to implementation of the phase II of implementation of DAS systems wherein the broadcasters and MSOs were asked to expedite the signing of interconnection agreements and submission of the information of the same to the Authority.

Source: http://cablequest.org/news/legal-news/item/2481-trai-orders-msos-and-paytv-broadcasters-to-file-interconnect-agreements.html
Source: http://cablequest.org/news/legal-news/item/2481-trai-orders-msos-and-paytv-broadcasters-to-file-interconnect-agreements.html