HC upholds Trai powers to regulate TV, cable

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has all the rights to regulate the broadcasting sector, and fix terms and conditions of the interconnect agreement including fixing tariffs of channels.

The Delhi High Court today upheld the powers of Trai by dismissing a petition filed by broadcasters Star TV India and Set Discovery challenging Trai's authority in fixing tariffs and interconnect agreements between the multi-system operators, broadcasters and cable operators.

In the absence of a regulator for the broadcasting sector, telecom regulator Trai is the final authority on regulatory issues of the broadcast and cable industry, the ruling said.

The implementation of conditional access system (CAS) in parts of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata and the proposed roll out of CAS in 55 cities is being mandated by Trai.