Taking serious note of cable TV operators overcharging consumers for installing set-top boxes (STBs), the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has issued a warning against them.
In a letter to the state nodal officers and the multi-system operators recently, the ministry says, ‘’It has come to the notice of this ministry that the MSOs (multi-system operators) are providing STBs to the consumers on exorbitant prices arbitrarily, thereby causing undue and avoidable hardship to the consumers.” It added that the ministry’s control room (No:1-800-180-4343) has been flooded with complaints from different parts of the country about the MSOs. “Such an act of overcharging by the MSOs has been viewed seriously by this ministry.”
The ministry advised the MSOs to advertise the price of the STBs in the newspaper so that the consumers become aware of it. They have also been asked to rein in the local cable operators who in turn supply the STBs to the consumers directly.
Installation of STBs is mandatory. The digitisation process has already been completed in the 42 cities including the four metros. The third phase of digitisation for installing STBs in all the urban areas and municipalities has to be completed by September 2014, while the entire country has to be digitised, including the rural areas, by December 2014.