The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) rolled out the new tariff regime to make the broadcasting and TV industry fairer in pricing and more transparent. However, now, the struggle for the sector regulator is to keep up with the demands and expectations of both sides of the industry – the business side and the consumers. After the rollout of the new regulatory framework, a lot of consumers have been lodging in complaints about increased tariffs, sub-par services and more. Cable and DTH operators are also being scrutinised by the regulator for the proper following of the norms. However, to carry this out in the appropriate manner, Trai will now be taking feedback from the consumers directly.
Trai Issues Tender for Conducting Series of Feedback Runs
This new initiative by Trai will focus on bringing in real-time feedback from the subscribers about the new tariff mandate of the broadcasting industry. The feedback process would collect the opinion of the public on various parameters and regulations which Trai has brought into the industry. The sector regulator wants to engage a panel of companies on a pan-India basis who would go door-to-door to the subscribers’ homes and conduct inspection and record their feedback on the various provisions and parameters of the new tariff regime of the broadcasting industry.
These companies helping the sector regulator will visit the consumer households, and they will check some of the parameters on the TV screen itself. They will also be recording the consumer feedback in the physical and online form. These companies would also cover many households under different DPOs. As per Trai, the generated report will be divided state-wise, Digital Addressable Systems (DAS) area wise as notified by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting(MIB) and also DPO wise. In a recent move, Trai has rolled out a tender for the same. To recall, only a few days back, we got to hear that Trai would be taking help of BECIL to conduct an audit of systems of cable TV and DTH operators.
Trai Getting Increased Complaints About DTH and Cable Operators
The thing to note is that even though the new tariff regime has been implemented in the country, Trai is now struggling to ensure the proper following of the norms. It has already talked about audits for the company which would check whether or not the operations of these service providers are in accordance with the new rules. Also, a lot of subscribers have lodged complaints against their cable TV or DTH provider noting things like forced FTA channels, poor customer service and more. These complaints have urged the telecom regulator to take stringent steps against these cable and DTH companies. The new stage of collecting feedback from the consumers will help the regulator in finding out further loopholes if any.
