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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Jayalalithaa urges Centre for DAS licence to Arasu Cable TV
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Jayalalithaa urges Centre for DAS licence to Arasu Cable TV

She suspects that the non-issuance of the DAS licence to TACTV was to facilitate particular private business interests

TACTV was fully qualified and entitled to get the DAS licence under the Cable TV Network (Regulations) Act, 1995. Photo: HTPremium
TACTV was fully qualified and entitled to get the DAS licence under the Cable TV Network (Regulations) Act, 1995. Photo: HT

Chennai: Chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Friday urged the Centre to review the application of state-run Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corp. Ltd (TACTV) for a digital addressable system (DAS) licence, which is pending before the ministry of information and broadcasting.

In a letter to minister of state for information and broadcasting Prakash Javadekar, which was handed over to him by All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MPs at Delhi on Friday, she referred to the Madras high court judgement in 2012, as well as her government’s earlier efforts to secure the licence.

Observing that the ministry has issued licences to nine other multi-system operators in Tamil Nadu and not TACTV, Jayalalithaa said, “I strongly suspect that the non-issuance of the DAS licence to TACTV by the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was only to facilitate particular private business interests, as other licences were issued at the same time."

She also pointed out that inter ministerial committee, set up by the ministry in 2013 to look into recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on the licensing issue has still not submitted its final report.

TACTV was fully qualified and entitled to get the DAS licence under the Cable TV Network (Regulations) Act, 1995, since it held that a person or an association of individuals or a company registered under the Companies Act is to be issued the licence, she said.

After coming to power in 2011, Jayalalithaa revived the state public sector undertaking TACTV, which commenced operations in Tamil Nadu on 2 September and thereafter to Chennai metro area, after getting a conditional access system (CAS) licence.

Ever since the Centre amended the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, and modified the “CAS" area to DAS area, TACTV took all necessary steps to commence operations in the digital mode in Chennai and had placed orders for the supply of set top boxes, CAS and subscriber management system and erection of head end at a cost of about 5,00,000,000 she said.

TACTV had applied to the ministry for DAS licence in 2012 to operate in Chennai and also for operating in the rest of Tamil Nadu.

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Published: 06 Jun 2014, 04:06 PM IST
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