Mandatory set-top boxes: Centre, TS, AP replies sought

A division bench of the High Court on Tuesday directed the Central, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments to file counter-affidavits in a week explaining their stand on a PIL filed against the gove
Mandatory set-top boxes: Centre, TS, AP replies sought

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the High Court on Tuesday directed the Central, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments to file counter-affidavits in a week explaining their stand on a PIL filed against the government’s action in compelling cable TV subscribers to purchase set-top boxes (STB) and threatening cable TV operators that they should not carry on with the existing analogue form of transmission of television programmes from January 31, 2017.
The bench, comprising acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice Shameem Akther, was dealing with a PIL filed by Citizens Welfare Society against the authorities forcibly bringing in digital transmission of TV programmes.

Petitioner’s counsel C Ramachandra Raju submitted that as per the notification issued by the Centre only those subscribers who wish to shift to DAS (Digital Addressable System) can have the same by buying STBs but others can continue with their cable TV system. However, the authorities are threatening that if the subscribers do not buy STBs for their TVs by the end of this month, there will be no transmission from February 1. As a result, cable TV mode will not be available from the said date, he noted. While reminding that the deadline to have STBs is Jan 31, the bench directed both the state governments also to file counter affidavits by the next date of hearing.

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