I&B Ministry, TRAI differ over DTH licensing norms

Girja Shankar Kaura

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 18

Attempts being made by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB) to reduce the licence tenure and increase the entry fee for the DTH operators has hit the TRAI wall with the latter re-asserting on its earlier recommendations of 20 years licence and Rs 10 crore entry fee.

In its response to back reference received from the MoIB on the authority’s recommendations related to the new DTH licence, the TRAI has categorically told the ministry that its earlier recommendations would stand.

The MoIB has been seeking to change the various regulations as regards the operations of the DTH and as such has been seeking to bring in a Cabinet note with new regulations which are also being opposed by the operators.

TRAI told the MoIB that DTH is a highly capital-intensive sector and requires investments not only in the initial stages but also in the latter stages of the operations and the investors look for certainty in government policies for continuity in operations.