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IBF issues press release on CAS
The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) members met in New Delhi today to discuss the implication of the proposed Conditional Access Systems (CAS).
Any propsoal that addresses the two fundamental issues of transparency and breaking up of the existing ground monopolies of the cable TV operators that face the industry is welcomed by the IBF. The reality is that today only 20 per cent of the ground revenue collected from the consumers accross the country comes back to the broadcasters.
The IBF members are of the view that there should be a planned and phased transition to enable the Indian consumers to comprahensively benefit from switching over to the Conditional Acceas Systems. To make CAS a realIty in the current form, the IBF believes that there are many issues concerning technology, funding, avaIlabilIty of set top boxes, regulation and non- discriminatory implementation and there is a need for a detailed analysis.
Further all the issues related with Implementation of CAS need to be looked at and addressed in totality. An amendment to the Cable TV Regulation Act is unlikely to resolve the fundamental issues that face the industry. It may in fact result in exploitation of customers in terms of prices of the services charged by the cable TV operators due to monopolies on ground.
Members of the Industry, Broadcasters, Vendors, Cable operators and the regulators need to work together to arrive at the correct CAS model. In the interim, the bradcasters have decided to come together and focus on the immediate problem of under declaration and demand 100% transparency from the cable TV operators.
The IBF also suggests that the existing parliamentary Select Committee headed by Parliamentarian Somnath Chatterjee looking into the Convergence Bill is ideally positioned to examine all the matters in totality so that the consumer gets the true benefit of the channels and the value added services.
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India’s AI Future Gets a Neural Kick-Off in Delhi
NDTV IND.AI Summit on 18 Feb 2026 to debate governance, ethics, and India’s big-tech ambitions.
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence is about to get a very Delhi welcome smart, spirited, and ready to out-think the room. On 18 February 2026, New Delhi plays host to the inaugural NDTV IND.AI Summit, a high-stakes pow-wow that promises to put India’s AI ambitions under the brightest spotlight yet. Billed as a deep dive into how artificial intelligence is already rewiring the nation’s economy, policy playbook, and strategic dreams, the one-day event is curated by NDTV in partnership with the Startup Policy Forum. At its core lies a single, sharp question: how do you unleash AI’s transformative power while keeping trust, equity, and sanity intact?
The guest list reads like a who’s-who of global AI heavyweights. Former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak headlines a special session on AI in governance, sharing hard-won lessons on how the technology is reshaping statecraft and decision-making. Joining the fray are OpenAI’s Chris Lehane, UC Berkeley’s AI safety pioneer Stuart Russell, and Google’s James Manyika, voices that will anchor India firmly in the international conversation on accountability, risk, and cross-border cooperation.
Beyond the policy wonks, the Summit rolls up its sleeves for real-world impact. General Catalyst’s Hemant Taneja and other top-tier investors will unpack how AI is redrawing the rules of capital, innovation, and long-term value creation. Separate tracks will tackle AI’s footprint in workplaces, large-scale adoption, productivity shifts, evolving job roles, and organisational culture. India’s digital public infrastructure, often hailed as a global blueprint for inclusive tech gets its own spotlight, alongside a dedicated segment on AI sovereignty: what does true national control look like in a borderless tech universe?
NDTV CEO and editor-in-chief Rahul Kanwal framed the event’s bigger picture, “The IND.AI Summit is about the kind of future we are choosing to build. India has the scale, the talent, and the moral imagination to shape how AI serves society and this Summit is our way of bringing the most credible voices together to define that direction.”
In a world where AI chatter can feel abstract, the New Delhi gathering aims to ground the debate in India’s own story, one that ties cutting-edge innovation to public purpose, domestic priorities to global influence, and raw ambition to responsible stewardship. Whether you’re an algorithm enthusiast or just mildly curious about tomorrow’s headlines, this Summit is India signalling it’s not just catching the AI wave, it intends to help steer it.
