TRAI mandates BECIL to audit DTH, cable companies for new tariff order compliance

TRAI mandates BECIL to audit DTH, cable companies for new tariff order compliance

TRAI secretary SK Gupta said audit "will start very soon"

BECIL_800

MUMBAI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has entrusted Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd (BECIL) to carry out an audit of direct-to-home (DTH) and cable operators to ensure their compliance with the new tariff order.

“BECIL will conduct the audit on behalf of TRAI, to ensure compliance with the new regulatory framework. We request all distribution platform operators (DPOs) to ensure compliance with the new regulatory framework in letter and spirit,” TRAI secretary SK Gupta told news agency PTI.

TRAI’s audit will be wide-ranging, delving into subscriber management and billing systems of DPOs. It will also look at whether or not choice of channels (a-la-carte or bouquets) are trickling down to the consumers.

“The audits will start very soon,” added Gupta.

The sector regulator has issued directives  to several distribution platform operators (DPOs) to comply with all provisions of the new regulatory framework.

DTH and cable TV companies will be randomly picked to undergo an audit of systems. The decision of which operators would face the audit is yet to be taken.

In the last few weeks, TRAI rapped some of the biggest DPOs in the country for flouting new tariff norms ranging from not honouring the validity of long-duration DTH packs to forcing channels packs and on consumers.

Last month TRAI boss RS Sharma said the sector regulator intends commence an “audit” of subscriber management and IT systems of errant DPOs. He had also warned such companies for consequences.