TRAI issues broadcasting quality regulations

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday issued broadcasting quality regulations, one of which prohibits service providers from charging the subscribers for the duration of continuous interruption exceeding 72 hours. The new rules for the broadcasting sector were issued under the quality of services (QoS) regulations titled “Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services, Standards of Quality of Services and Consumer Protection (Addressable System) Regulations 2017”.

According to TRAI, to ensure sectoral growth and consumer protection, it has introduced measures using ICTs (information and communication technologies). “The service providers have been mandated to create a dedicated ‘consumer corner’ and subscriber corner’ links on their websites, which shall contain relevant information for the benefit of consumers in standardised format,” TRAI said in a statement.

“It has been made mandatory for the service providers to publicise service related information to consumers through their dedicated consumer care programming service.” Besides, the ‘name’ and ‘price’ of all channels available on a service providers’ platform will be transparently shown in the electronic programme guide to help the consumers to make appropriate choice. “To protect the interests of consumers, TRAI has also decided to restrict the service providers from changing the composition of the subscribed services without consent of the subscriber and such consent shall be recorded to resolve any dispute later,” the statement added. The salient features of the regulations include a common framework for standards of QoS and consumer protection across digital platforms.