I&B Ministry cancels registration of six MSOs in April 2023

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) cancelled the registration of six multi-system operators (MSOs) in April 2023.

The total number of registered MSOs stand at 1,736 as of April 31, 2023.

The registration request for Raghav Agency was rejected on April 5, 2023 due to the violation of regulation 15(1) of the telecommunication (Broadcast and Cable) Services Interconnection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 and Rule 10A of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. 

Further, SCV Sky Vision's registration was cancelled on April 21 due to the same violations as that of Raghav Agency.

Hornbill Media's registration was cancelled on April 21 due to non-compliance of the terms and conditions. Advance Multisystem Broadband Communications' registration was cancelled on April 24 due to violation of regulation 15(1) of the telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Interconnection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 and Rule 10A of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. 

Other MSOs whose registration have been cancelled include Bongaon Cable TV Network and DEB TV. 

In March, MIB, through an advisory, had stated that broadcasters registered with the I&B Ministry have often raised the issue of underreporting of subscriber base and non-compliance to TRAI's Audit regulation by cable operators leading to loss of revenue to them. 

As per the interconnection regulation issued by TRAI, a broadcaster has to sign an interconnection agreement with the distributor of television channels for providing signals on a nondiscriminatory basis.

The Ministry stated that a list of registered MSOs along with their compliance status is published on the Ministry's website. The list of MSOs shall be frequently updated for reference of the concerned stakeholder. 

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