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"At
the moment, MSOs are giving us daily reports
on how many customer choices are being fed
into the computer on a daily basis."
Meanwhile,
it is known the some MSOs have given qualitative
data on customer choice to the broadcasters,
but Trai has not asked for them, and hence
is still unaware of what sort of trends
the data is throwing up.
There
have been several indications from MSOs
that the data is startling and demolishes
claims by many channels that they are on
top. However, MSOs are keeping the data
close to their chests.
But,
says the official, "We shall need that
data for the mid-year review, sometime in
June, and we shall ask MSOs for that."
Surprisingly,
the official says that nothing has been
done on on the critical issue of implementing
Quality of Service norms.
"The
quality of service cannot be implemented
unless all the data is fed into the computer.
At the moment, you are a name in a form,
and when the data is entered, you become
a number.
"Only
then will it be possible for you to call
up a BPO and, using your number, file a
complaint. This data will be available with
us only then, and without that quality of
service cannot be implemented
"This
is taking time, not so much because the
MSOs are not working, but because customers
are still taking a lot of time to indicate
their choices," the official explains.
The
latest data that he has provided shows that
the gap between the number of forms filled
and the data entered by MSOs has narrowed,
but the gap between the number of boxes
seeded and number of customers who have
filled the forms is wider.
This
is a familial issue, he holds, with most
families with single TV sets finding it
difficult to come to a consensus on channel
choice, and hence delaying filling and returning
the forms.
"The
MSOs have told me, however, that this exercise
will be over by the first or second week
of April," he says.
NO EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FOR DTH REAFFIRMED
The
official, on another significant issue,
denied that Trai has said anything on exclusive
content being considered for DTH players.
"We
have not said anything to any newspaper
excepting what is there in the DTH Consultation
paper," the Trai official has said.
The
Trai position has always been that channels
would have to be provided on a nondiscriminatory
manner, so there would be no question of
exclusivity.
A
curious position exists, however, on the
issue of tariff regulation for DTH players,
which was pointed out to the official.
In
an interim order by TDSAT involving a DTH
player, the court has said that Trai should
take the issue up. The counsel for the DTH
player has twice in the recent past told
the court to implement that interim order.
Asked
to comment on this, the official expressed
surprise and said he was not aware of this.
On the issue of Must Provide (all channels
of a broadcaster), as against Must Carry
(of such channels by a DTH player), Trai
had filed an affidavit before TDSAT saying
that it has never imposed a Must Carry provision
on the DTH operators, but only a Must Provide
of all channels of a broadcaster.
Zee
Turner, in the same case with TataSky, has
placed on the table of TDSAT documents of
Trai itself which they said shows Trai has
issued a Must Carry obligation on the DTH
players. However, the case is now reserved
for pronouncement or judgment and the Trai
official would not comment on that.
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