"The Union government had promised that while making digitization mandatory, the interest of the cable industry and consumers will be protected," Anil Parab, Cable Operators' Association president, said on Thursday.
"The business was in the hands of cable operators. But according to the new policy, the trade will be under the control of multi-system operator and the role of cable operators will be limited to collecting money," he added.
Operators will meet for the second time on Friday to decide the future course of action. "At the meeting, we will take a final call on the issue. If our demands are not heard, those in the industry will be forced to come on the street and protest against the Centre's policy," he said.
The deadline for cable TV digitization in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai is October 31. Recently, the Union ministry of information and broadcasting issued a release claiming that it has achieved over 80% digitization in four metros.
"The figures released by the government are not correct. The setup box has reached godowns of private players in the industry and not in every household. Many people will protest if they stop receiving cable signals. Considering all the hurdles in implementing the policy, the Centre should extend its deadline till the issues are sorted out," he added.
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