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NEW
DELHI: With the adjournment of the Indian Parliament sine
die today, the fate of conditional access system becomes
that much more nebulous. Though, some government officials
told indiantelevision.com this afternoon that the information
and broadcasting ministry may take the Ordinance route to
bring about the implementation of CAS.
I&B minister Sushma Swaraj had got the cable TV Networks
Amendment Bill 2002 first listed in the Rajya Sabha (the
Upper House of Parliament) towards the beginning of this
session, but had got it delisted as Opposition in the Rajya
Sabha had wanted a thorough debate on the issue.
The Lok Sabha (Lower House) has already okayed the amendments
to the CATV Act, 1995 through a voice vote which aims at
facilitating the implementation of CAS and bring about addressability
in Indian cable TV homes.
Government officials said that an Ordinance (an executive
order) is a plausibility, but the government has to convince
the President that the issue of CAS is of national importance
and cannot wait for Parliament to pass it in the winter
session. The adjournment of Parliament sine die, ahead of
the scheduled date of 14 August, came about as for the past
few days no business had been transacted in Parliament with
the Opposition in both the Houses resorting to boycott and
demanding petroleum minister Ram Naik's resignation after
irregularities in the petrol pumps and kerosene depot allotment
came to light sometime back.
Even if the government promulgates an Ordinance on CAS,
it has to be okayed by Parliament in the next session or
it lapses six months after its promulgation.
But the Ordinance has to wait a little also if that is the
route the government opts to take. The President of India
is scheduled to tour the state of Gujarat over the next
10 days and may not have time to study the issue immediately.
The broadcasting industry, which was not much in favour
of CAS implementation immediately, can breathe easier now,
while the cable industry and set-top box manufacturers,
pushing for CAS, may have to wait a while.
See earlier headline:
CAS
still stuck as RS adjourned sine die, govt. examining ordinance
route
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