TRAI: DTH and cable exclusivity not desirable
New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has suggested that content must be made available freely and on a non-discriminatory basis.

In its draft recommendations on interconnection regulations for the broadcasting sector, the regulator has said that exclusivity has not been a feature in India's fragmented cable TV market.

The TRAI has said that from consumers' point-of-view, if all the channels are not available on one DTH platform then the consumers may have to install more than one dish to view their favourite channels. Also by denying content to one platform, subscribers would be denied the choice of content.

The DTH platform is seen as a carrier of TV channels and its vertical integration with the broadcaster cannot be the reason for content denial to the other distributors, the TRAI has said. The DTH platforms would have to compete on the strength of the quality of service, tariffs and packaging of the TV channels and not on the content.

Moreover if a popular content is available on the cable network and is not available on the DTH platform, it would never be able to give an effective alternative to the cable services.

Similarly the cable industry should not be denied content that is available on DTH. In the interest of consumers it is essential that all channels are available on all platforms on a non-discriminatory basis. This would promote competition amongst different platforms and thus would be beneficial for the consumers.

It has therefore been decided to impose a restriction on the broadcaster/multi system operator that they cannot cut off the signals without giving at least one month's notice.

The TRAI has also offered certain safeguards to the broadcasters. It has said that service providers must settle dues and provide protection against piracy. A broadcaster can deny signals only if instances of piracy are established.
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Govt. extends senior citizens savings scheme coverage
New Delhi: The Union Government has extended the coverage of the Senior Citizens Savings Scheme to individuals who have already retired.

Retired individuals who have so far not opted for the scheme can now invest in it before November 26 this year i.e. within one month from the date of the latest amendment to the scheme.

Further, retired personnel of the defence services would also now be eligible to subscribe to the scheme, an official release has said. A provision has also been made for adding the photograph and signature of the nominees under such accounts.

The release added that those persons retiring on superannuation or otherwise and who have attained the age of 55 years or more but less than 60 years, have also been made eligible to subscribe to the scheme. The deposits made by such persons would, however, be restricted to their retirement benefits or Rs15 lakh - whichever is lower.
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CII to set up FDI promotion council
New Delhi: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), has announced that it would set up a foreign direct investment (FDI) promotion council to facilitate incremental foreign direct investment.

Announcing this, the CII has said that it had set up task forces for various sectors including education, energy and tourism. CII would also help train one million people over the next couple of years for which the industry chamber is working with the National Productivity Council.
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