A Common Interconnection Framework For DAS

In the process of revising all regulations and tariff orders for Digital Addressable Systems at the fag end of Cable Digitisation, TRAI the sector regulator has now released the draft of Interconnection Regulations for Consultation.

Already Drafts of Quality of Service and Tariffs have been released in this month for consultations. Since three out of four phases of digitization are over, the regulations issued now will become common to all addressable systems like DTH, HITS, Cable TV and IPTV. The new regulations have been framed after considering TRAI's experience of the past five years in digitization of Cable Television networks. 

On the matters of interconnection between the providers, TRAI, in 2004 had released the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable Services) Interconnection Regulation 2004 (13 of 2 0 0 4) to regulate interconnection arrangements in analog mode, in vogue at that time and later its scope was expanded to include addressable systems such as Direct-to Home(DTH) , Head-End In the Sky(HITS) and 
service Internet Protcol Television(IPTV) etc. Subsequently the Authority also notified the Telecommunication(Broadcasting and Cable Services) Interconnection(Digital Addressable Cable Television Systems) Regulations, 2012 ( 9 of 2012), specifically for cable TV services provided through Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems(DAS). 

To keep in pace with the new technologies and advent of different distribution platforms in the broadcasting, TRAI initiated a holistic review of the existing regulatory framework for all type of addressable systems. From January to July 2016, consultations on issues relating to tariff, interconnection, register of interconnection agreements, quality of service and consumer of protection were held with stakeholders in the form of comments, counter comments and open house discussions.