Cable operators are threatening subscribers with blackout

Pay up for set-top boxes (STBs) or prepare for life without pay channels — that’s the message (or threat, if you please) some 200-odd cable homes on Middleton Row received from the neighbourhood cable operator last week.

The STB is a must to watch pay channels in areas where the conditional access system (CAS) has come into effect from January 1. “But we are not in the CAS zone and so the letter took us by surprise,” said a resident of Middleton Apartments.

According to the letter shot off by CADPL, the cable operator, each subscriber must shell out Rs 1,800 as an “initial amount” by end-March and an “additional amount” of Rs 1,050 for registration of viewing card post-CAS rollout. “We would be introducing digital signals in our network… To view the pay channels, the subscribers have to purchase STBs,” explained the letter. A CADPL representative played down the pay-up missive. “We are just trying to get some feedback,” he said.

Trai, the central watchdog, has made it clear that no cable operator can force subscribers to pay up for STBs. Also, the second phase of CAS rollout in Calcutta has not been finalised yet. “These incidents should be reported and we will take action,” said Abhijit Sanyal, Trai’s nodal officer for Calcutta.

In various non-CAS parts of the city, cable operators have been trying to push the STB. “For them, the sale of STBs is a vital revenue stream now. They also fear losing out to Tata Sky and DTH and are desperate to retain market share,” said a source.