Categorically stating that set-top boxes were property that belonged to individual consumers, cable operators have declared that Multiple System Operators (MSOs) could not pressure them into collecting Rs. 300 for each set-top box.
At a meeting here on Monday, Telangana State Cable Association president P. Raju Goud, Greater Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy District president Lingala Hari Goud and chief coordinator T. Vijaykumar alleged that just three MSOs - including Hathway, Siticable and InDigital were holding cable operators to “ransom”.
Operators’ problems
“We charge between Rs. 150 to Rs. 200 per consumer per month and there are so many freebies that we are forced to give out to different sections, including discounts. And we face a huge problem in effecting our collections. Amid all these problems, the MSOs sitting in Mumbai cannot dictate terms to us,” they said.
Attending the meeting, Home Minister Naini Narsimha Reddy promised that he would call for a meeting very soon, of all stakeholders including the MSOs, together with Commissioner of Police M. Mahender Reddy and sort out issues.
An estimated 70 lakh consumers utilised cable television services across Telangana, while the number stood at about 30 lakhs in the limits of Greater Hyderabad, said Mr. Hari Goud. Of this, about 20 per cent consumers were those who preferred Direct-to-Home (DTH) services over individual cable connections, he pointed out.
“When it is clearly the property of individual consumers, why should MSOs insist that we collect Rs. 300 each from them towards cost of set-top boxes?, they asked.
The three MSOs are claiming a monopoly by ganging up as a syndicate and holding individual cable operators to ransom, Mr. Hari said. The Greater Hyderabad unit president offers cable services to about 1,500 consumers in Dilsukhnagar, he said.
JAC formed
Others present at the press conference were members of the Joint Action Committee that the 25-odd associations of cable operators across the State have formed to press their case, said Jagadhish Rao and V. Srinivas Reddy. They also passed an official resolution to the effect that MSOs could not bring pressure on them.
