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Cable connection for ₹100 not feasible, say Punjab operators
Addressing a press conference, president of the Cable Operators Union, Punjab, Sunny Singh Gill said regulating the prices of cable connection was out of the purview of the state government as only Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has the right to fix these rates
Cable operators from Punjab on Wednesday criticised chief minister Charanjit Channi for his statement on capping cable charges at ₹100 per connection.
Addressing a press conference, president of the Cable Operators Union, Punjab, Sunny Singh Gill said regulating the prices of cable networks was out of the purview of the state government as only Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has the right to fix these rates.
“If the chief minister is sure that state government can do so, he should immediately ask his officials to issue a notification in this regard,” he said.
The operators said chief minister’s statement will further deteriorate the already dying cable industry.
“As per the TRAI regulations, ₹130-plus GST is being fixed that we can charge from customers for free-to-air channels. Out of this, 45% ( ₹65) belong to cable operators whereas rest goes multi-system operator (MSO). We have to bear all expenses right from the level of manpower to operating and the cable network,” he said.
The operators said that if a customer wants to see any paid channel, of 10% of the amount goes to cable operator and the MSO each whereas rest of the money goes to the channels.
“This means if any customer is having package of ₹300, a cable operator on an average earns ₹80-85. Now, can the state government tell is it viable to cap the fee at ₹100,” he questioned.
