Telecom Regulatory Authority of India relents to consumers' demand

Ravi Nair

After city-based media consultant Ravi Nair lodged a complaint against Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) recently imposed rules, the latter is set to fine-tune its tariff plans. mid-day had, across March, covered a series of developments as Nair waged war against the tariff imposed by the authority in December 2018, which made it mandatory for subscribers to pay for channels that they wished to see, over and above a stipulated monthly Network Capacity Fee (NCF) of Rs 153, including GST.

Nair says, "TRAI must follow the cable plan that I proposed, else the issues will not be resolved. I was lucky to have mid-day push my story. I messaged Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javdekar. They must have sent my letter to TRAI. [TRAI's] legal department sent me a letter stating they were looking into the matter."

Also Read: Ravi Nair on new TRAI rules: If I must pay for what I want to see, let's have it minus the ads

Via his 'Cable 199 only' campaign, Nair had proposed a plan to reduce the monthly subscription fee. Asserting that it is inapt for TRAI to charge consumers for channels that they do not desire to watch, he states all channels must be made available for Rs 2.50. "Some channels are popular in the South and earn good revenue. They [should not] be offered to us for free."

Also Read: Petitioner Ravi Nair takes plea to TRAI

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