The mandatory digitisation regime, set to come into effect from March 31, has been put on hold till April 8. The week’s relief to more than two lakh viewers came as a result of the imminent civil elections.
Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi Vinay Kumar Choubey took a final call on Sunday following a report by Sub-Divisional Officer Ameet Kumar. “The time limit has been extended as electronic media is playing an indispensable role during elections. Television viewers of the capital need to remain updated about major consequences of the civic polls,” said the DC.
According to the declared deadline, all cable connections have to be digitised by from April 1. All major operators of Ranchi had, on Saturday, met the SDO to press for a month’s extension. Nevertheless, the district administration gave just a week’s time — ending next Monday midnight — for finishing digitisation process.
However, Sunday was not a normal weekend for couch potatoes as there appeared to be no way for Ranchiites to meet the deadline for installation of digital set-top boxes (STBs) for every television cable connection. The city witnessed incidents of friction between cable operators and hapless residents.
Cable operators sought more time to get set-top boxes, upgrade of the complete cabling system from analogue to digital and other required improvements.
There are 2.25 lakh cable TV consumers in the capital city, according to an estimate. Only 70,000 viewers have, till now, switched to the Conditional Access System.
“The response has been poor and only 400 people are experiencing digital quality from GTPl set-top boxes,” said Manoj Kumar, a cable operator from Morhabadi.
This week or the next, a switchover is essential. “Cable TV subscribers, irrespective of their service provider, will now have to buy set-top boxes,” said Bablu, cable operator of Space.com Cable Connection Company. He added, “Since morning, a number of people are persistently approaching us to install STBs, in a panic that television screens will go blank soon.”
Under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2011, complete digitisation of cable TV has been made mandatory by end of 2014 in four phases.
This move towards digitisation has taken a toll on consumers. “A large section of people are not aware of the need to install the boxes. Besides, cable TV is the only source of entertainment for many low-income families. They cannot afford to buy STBs,” said Vicky, sub operator of Manthan Cables.
Operators have imported boxes in bulk over the last three months. Space.com claims that they have brought 10,000 set-top boxes from Gujarat Telecom Pvt ltd (GTMl). However, direct-to-home service (DTH) business is booming across the city due to digitalisation. A number of people prefer DTH over STBs.
Television viewers feel they are being fleeced for installation of set-top boxes. Prices range from Rs 599 to Rs 1,200. Apart from the cost of the boxes, operators are charging Rs 200 to Rs 300 for installation, depending on the customer and the area.
“This move by the Centre has only made it easy for big DTH operators to capture our market. They are coming up with attractive schemes and many of our customers have already become their clients,” said Sanju, a cable operator from Hinoo.
Many people across the city were still in dilemma on the eve of the deadline — whether to install STB or to wait for the deadline to be extended.