Court wants CAS running in four weeks

After more than two years in the cold, the conditional access system (CAS) for cable operators got a shot in the arm today when the Delhi High Court asked the Centre to implement it within four weeks.

Information and broadcasting ministry officials said they were studying the court order and would take steps to implement the CAS. "In the next few weeks, there will be detailed guidelines on it. We already have a law to oversee the CAS," a ministry official said.

With the implementation of the CAS "" a system that delivers television signals through a set-top box and gives subscribers the liberty to choose channels "" cable subscribers will pay only half of what they pay now to cable service providers.

While observing that multi-system operators such as Hathway Communications, Indus India and Indian Cable Network (RPG) were "unfairly compelled to approach the court", Justice Vikramajit Sen imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on the Centre as damages for delaying the implementation of the scheme since July 2003.

Cable operators, which have been supporting the CAS, said today its implementation would help them immensely because the pricing of channels would become more transparent.

Sony Entertainment Television CEO Kunal Dasgupta was, however, sceptical. "The CAS was earlier implemented in Chennai but it did not work there. One will have to wait and see how it is implemented in other cities. I do not think it will make any difference to us in terms of declaration of subscribers," he said.

The government had earlier abandoned its attempt to implement the CAS, which stipulates that every pay television channel be priced separately and distributed individually.

Broadcasters and cable network operators had failed to reach an agreement over its implementation. There were also disagreements among different sections of broadcasters over the pricing of channels.

Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata were identified by the government as cities to roll out the CAS in the first phase. However, it was only implemented in Chennai, that too partially.

While noting that the CAS had been implemented in Chennai but not other three cities, the court stated that the interim order of the Madras High Court had the effect of mandating the respondent (the Centre) to implement the CAS in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Earlier, the Delhi and Madras high courts had conclusively held that the government could not recall its notification on the implementation of the CAS.