Fresh consultation paper on tariff order soon, says TRAI Chairman Lahoti

New Delhi: In a big development for broadcasters, distribution platforms and viewers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is set to release a fresh consultation paper proposing amendments to the existing tariff order. The move was confirmed by Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, TRAI, in an exclusive interview with BestMediaInfo.com.

Speaking on the issue, Lahoti said that individual channel prices remain under forbearance. “We believe there are adequate market forces and competition to take care of individual channel prices,” he said.

However, he made it clear that bouquet formation cannot lead to practices that burden consumers with higher costs. “Bouquet formation should not lead to malpractices or result in consumers being burdened with extra costs. That is what we address in our tariff order,” Lahoti said.

According to him, TRAI had already carried out an exercise in 2024 to introduce certain modifications in the tariff framework. That round of changes covered interconnection regulations, the tariff order and quality of service norms. The regulator had received detailed inputs from across the industry during that process.

“Our previous intervention in 2024 itself brought about a lot of reforms. Since then, we have received more inputs. It is a dynamic sector. We have to remain agile and evolve with the times,” Lahoti said.

He confirmed that TRAI is currently examining the fresh issues raised by stakeholders and will soon come out with a consultation paper to address them.

Over the years, TRAI’s tariff orders have reshaped the pay-TV ecosystem by separating network capacity fee (NCF) from channel pricing, pushing transparency in bouquet discounts, and giving consumers the choice to select channels individually. 

However, industry debates have continued over pricing caps, bouquet structures and the balance of power between broadcasters and DPOs.

The upcoming consultation paper is expected to reopen these discussions and could once again impact how channels are priced and sold to homes across the country.