Government cancels registrations of 4 MSOs

[Deepu]

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has cancelled the registrations of four multi-system operators (MSOs) including that of Kolkata-based Digicable Comm. Services, Chennai-based Jothishankar Annamalai, Mysore-based Mediasix Digital Networks, and Thanjavur-based Kavery Digital Networks. Digicable Comm. Services’ permanent registration for Kolkata was cancelled on 18 July due to denial of security clearance by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Digicable MD and CEO Jagjit Singh Kohli said that the company has approached the MHA and is hopeful of getting the clearance immediately. “We are also moving the courts for a stay against this order,” he told TelevisionPost.com. Explaining the reason for the denial of security clearance by MHA, Kohli said that this was probably due to Amit Nag who was then CEO and on the board and the application for DAS (digital addressable system) had his signature. “Subsequently, Nag resigned from Digicable and we filed criminal cases against him. His bail was denied up to the Supreme Court level and he is currently wanted in that case. Also, he has been chargesheeted in a case filed against him by Siti Cable. MHA clearance was probably denied under the presumption that he still works for us, which is not true.” Digicable Comm. Services is a joint venture between Digicable and Kolkata-based Multicon Group. Jothishankar Annamalai and Mediasix Digital Networks’ provisional licence for DAS areas in Chennai and Karnataka were cancelled due to non-operation. Kavery Digital Networks’ provisional licence for DAS-notified areas of Tamil Nadu was cancelled due to denial of security clearance by the MHA. In case of Agra-based Jai Maa Vaishno Media Entertainment, the company’s registration was not processed as the firm was not interested in MSO registration. Meanwhile, the ministry has granted registration to four new MSOs. This takes the total number of MSOs in the country to 106 as on 23 July 2014. The entities that got MSO registration include ACT Digital Home Entertainment, Sagar E Technologies, Maharaja Telesystems and RVR Infrastructures. Bengaluru-based MSO and broadband service provider Atria Convergence Technologies’ associate ACT Digital Home Entertainment has got a permanent registration for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Bengaluru-based Sagar E Technologies has got permanent registration for the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana excluding Hyderabad. Mathura-based Maharaja Telesystems has got a permanent registration for DAS Phase II city of Agra and for Phases I, III, and IV on all-India basis. Andhra Pradesh-based MSO RVR Infrastructures has got a permanent registration for the state of Andhra Pradesh except in the city of Visakhapatnam. RVR Infrastructures runs cable TV business under the brand name RVR Digital. Earlier, the MIB had cancelled registration of four MSOs, Nalgonda-based IB Communications, New Delhi-based Eminent Cable Network, Amritsar-based God Father Communication and Gurgaon-based Supersonic Networks, for non-compliance of DAS regulations. Amritsar-based independent MSO God Father Communication had subsequently challenged the cancellation of registration in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The court has granted interim relief to the MSO by ordering a stay on the ministry’s notification to cancel the registration. Pune-based independent MSO Intermedia Cable Communication (ICC) had earlier got a stay order from the Delhi High Court on the MIB’s notification to cancel its provisional DAS licence.

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