(10 March 2010 2:40 pm)

NEW DELHI: Even as it denied any proposal to withdraw the conditional access system (Cas) for cable television in India, the Government says it aims to fix a time frame within which the entire cable operations have to become digital including the provisioning of free-to-air channels.

Parliament was informed by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting C M Jatua that the government is also working on developing suitable regulatory framework including rationalisation of tax and duty structure on the digital equipment and cable services for making the migration to digital cable services viable for any cable operator who wants to go digital prior to the deadline.

While Cas was introduced on a mandatory basis in notified areas of the four metros, its extension has been linked with digitalisation, which is a major thrust area of the Ministry.