(15 January 2009 9:00 pm)

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal has dismissed Trai's tariff order relating to a ceiling on cable TV services charges in the country.

Tdsat has said that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had violated principles of transparency and asked the regulator to study the matter afresh.

Tdsat bench headed by justice Arun Kumar said, "We direct the Trai to study the matter afresh in the light of our observations and issue a comprehensive Order covering all aspects including the issue of subscription base in a non-addressable system. We expect the authority to complete this study in six months."

The bench further observed while issuing the circular that "principles of transparency have been violated by Trai. The regulator should "have taken due care while passing an important order such as this."

Earlier on 4 October 2007, Trai had issued a circular proposing price band of Rs 132-260 for cable services based on a classification of cities and the number of pay channels provided by MSOs.

Besides, Trai had allowed MSOs to take channels from broadcasters on a-la-carte basis which was widely opposed by broadcasters like Zee, Star, Sony and Sun.

The bench further said, "On the issue of whether the stipulation that broadcasters should provide channels on à la carte basis to the MSOs/LCOs is wrong, we hold that while the idea of making à la carte choice of channels available to them is desirable, it must be backed up by adequate safeguards both to the consumer as well as to the broadcaster."