(23 January 2009 9:30 pm)

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has again extended the last date for receiving comments on the existing regulatory provisions relating to Interconnection Issues about Broadcasting and Cable Services.

The revised date is 31 January. Earlier, Trai had shifted the date from 12 January to 23 January as some stakeholders had asked for more time to present out their views.

In the Consultation Paper, Trai had said there had been a marked increase in deployment of addressable platforms for distribution of TV channels in recent past. IPTV services and Voluntary Cas had been rolled out by many service providers. In the near future, Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) and mobile TV services are also likely to be available.

The Authority had issued The Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable Services) Interconnection Regulation 2004 in December to provide for a regulatory framework for interconnection in respect of broadcasting and cable services. The Register of Interconnect Agreements (Broadcasting and Cable Services) Regulation 2004 was issued on 31 December to provide for maintenance of a Register of Interconnect Agreements.