MUMBAI: The MIB has granted registration to 230 multi-system operators (MSOs) for ten years as on 13 February, 2017, to operate digital addressable system (DAS). As per MIB order no. 2/108/2015-DAS dated 27 January, 2017, all these registered MSOs can operate anywhere in India.
The MIB has also released a list of 45 multi-system operators (MSO) the registration of which to operate DAS has been cancelled (as on 13 February, 2017) or their pending cases have been closed.
Of the MSOs listed on the MIB site, permission to one MSO has been restored, and the order for closure of two has been withdrawn.
For Kal Cables Pvt Ltd (Chennai), the MIB order of cancellation of MSO registration has been withdrawn and provisional registration granted on 13 January 2017. For S.S.R. Cable Network (Adilabad, Telangana), the order for closure of application has been withdrawn and provisional registration was issued on 19 January 2017.
For Nakerkal Communications, the MIB order for closure of application has also been withdrawn and the provisional registration was issued on 10 January 2017.
On 9 January, www.indiantelevision.com had reported that the registration of MSOs remained slow with 71 provisional clearances in December 2016 and up to 4 January 2017 taking the total to 1130 despite the fact that less than a month is left for Phase III analogue switch-off and two months before the final phase of digital addressable system DAS deadline gets over.
The number of permanent MSOs (with 10-year licences) remained static at 229, while the number of cancellations remained at 44 as intimated on 30 November 2016. Of the 71 entrants, 21 were registered in the first four days of January 2017.
With the home ministry directive about doing away with security clearances for MSOs not communicated in writing to the MIB, confusion prevailed over slowing down of the registration processes of MSOs for delivering services in DAS areas. The Government already deferred to 31 January 2017 the sunset date for Phase III (from 31 December 2015) and 31 March 2917 for Phase IV (from 31 December 2016).
The Ministry on 8 July 2016 issued an advisory to the Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs Governments, the District Collectors and the Multi System Operators (MSOs)/ Local Cable Operators (LCOs) to ensure that no unpermitted TV channel, are transmitted/ re-transmitted in the Cable Networks and to take action against the defaulter under the provisions of the Cable Television Networks Act 1995 to stop transmission of these channels.
Click here for list of 230 MSOs
Click here for list of MSOs registration of which has been cancelled (or cases closed)
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