| The court observation came on a petition filed by a
clutch of consumers' bodies, earlier this year, seeking relief or
the consumers on CAS on the ground that implementation of addressability
at that time was not anti-consumer.
When the case was filed by Consumer co-ordination council (CCC),
an apex body of 50-odd consumer organizations in the country, the
cable industry was pushing ahead with the implementation of CAS.
The court also pointed out that since the last hearing, developments
had taken place on the CAS front with the government having issued
a notification redesignating broadcast and cable services as telecom
services to be looked after by Trai, the issue of CAS should be
referred to the regulator, which is already seized of the matter.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, an official of the CCC claimed
victory on "behalf of the consumers" and said that the
organization has already been in touch with Trai.
The CCC also claimed that it has been the inputs given by the organisation
that has helped Trai in formulating some views on CAS, including
the fact that the cable services prices have been frozen as of 26
December, 2003.
Meanwhile, Trai, which was supposed to have come out with its detailed
consultation paper on CAS last month, is yet to do so.
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