MIB extends deadline for Phase IV of cable TV digitisation to March 31

Ministry is also providing additional time for the remaining subscribers in Phase III areas to switch over to digital mode of transmission by January 31, 2017 on account of ongoing court proceedings

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | December 23, 2016

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is extending the cut-off date for Phase IV of cable TV digitisation to March 31, 2017 in lieu of uncertainty in the market due to pending court cases and unsatisfactory progress of installation of Set Top Boxes (STBs) in Phase IV areas. Digitisation in rural areas was targeted to be achieved by December 31, 2016 under Phase IV. A notification in this regard will be issued shortly.

Ministry is also providing additional time for the remaining subscribers in Phase III areas to switch over to digital mode of transmission by January 31, 2017 on account of ongoing court proceedings.

In Phase III areas, digitisation in remaining urban areas in the country was to be completed by December 31, 2015.  However, some MSO associations/ individuals had moved various High Courts and obtained either extension of cut-off date or stay on the operationalisation of the notifications of the Ministry dated November 11, 2011 and September 11, 2014. The matter when raised before the Supreme Court by the Ministry, transferred all the cases to the Delhi High Court for hearing and disposal vide its order dated April 1, 2016. High Court of Delhi has disposed-off most of the cases and it is very likely that the remaining cases would also be finally disposed-off in very near future.

The ministry will be issuing instructions to all the broadcasters, multi system operators (MSOs), local cable operators (LCOs) and the authorised officers to ensure that no analog signals would be transmitted over the cable networks in Phase III areas after January 31, 2017. It is also made clear that no further extension of time would be allowed.

The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2011 has made it mandatory for switch-over of the existing analogue cable TV networks to digital addressable system (DAS) in four phases. Digital switch-over has already taken place in Phase-I and II areas.

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