The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has extended the required time for the implementation of the New Regulation Framework 2020 by the distributors of TV channels. Earlier, in a letter dated November 10, 2021, the regulatory body had asked the broadcasters and the DPOs to submit compliance report on the provision of New Regulatory Framework 2020 from February 1, 2022, to March 31, 2022, and ensure that the New Tariff Order (NTO) 2.0 comes into effect from April 1, 2022.
Broadcasters Finding It Difficult to Comply With New Regulatory Framework 2020
The broadcasters and the other stakeholders have requested time for the implementation of the New Regulatory Framework 2020 because due to the present COVID-19 situation, many of their employees have been affected and aren’t able to come to the office. Thus TRAI has extended the time of implementation of the New Regulatory Framework 2020 to February 28 from the earlier proposed date of February 1, 2022. Also, the regulatory body has asked the DPOs to inform about the distributor retail price (DRP) of pay channels the composition of a bouquet of free-to-air (FTA) and pay-TV channels by March 31, 2022. Thus, the final date of the implementation of the NTO 2.0 will be extended to June 2022 from the earlier promised date of April 1, 2022. This will keep the customers of the broadcasters and TV operators happy. The delay in implementation of NTO 2.0 would mean that the customers will still get the same bill they get right now. Post the implementation of the New Tariff Order 2.0, the rise in the final bill of the customers will be evident as the broadcasters will hike the prices of their driver channels and keep them out of bouquet services. The delay will also give more time for the industry and the regulator to sort out issues that exist with the NTO 2.0. If the issues are not resolved, there could be more delays announced.
