The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has on Friday issued a direction to Direct to Home (DTH) operator Tata Sky directing it to refund all the subscribers who were affected by the removal of Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) channels in 2018 within 21 days.
The regulator has directed Tata Sky to refund all those subscribers who were affected between 1st October 2018 to 5th December 2018, for which the payment was taken. It has also asked the DTH operator to provide a list of subscribers to whom refund has been made under the above condition, along with the amount of such refund.
TRAI noted that any amount that couldn’t be refunded to the subscribers according to the provisions of the Telecommunications Consumers Education and Protection Fund (TCEPF) Regulation 2007 has to be deposited into the account meant for collection of the fund.
TRAI has issued the direction under the section 13, read with sub-clause (v) of clause (b) of subsection (1) of section 11, of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997, to ensure compliance to Direct to Home Broadcasting Services (Standards of Quality of Service and Redressal of Grievances) Regulations, 2007(08 of2007).
It noted that the regulation 9A of DTH QoS Regulation 2007 reads as “No change in the composition of a subscription package during the first six months of enrolment or during the period of validity of subscription paid in advance“. Tata Sky was earlier in July 2019 show caused by the regulator and asked to provide certain information.
Tata Sky in response had said that refund was made to all the subscribers who came through the TRAI portal and approached Tata Sky. The regulator on analyzing the response found that the DTH operator had failed to address the matter in the true spirit of the regulatory provisions and explain the reasons for non-compliance of the DTH QoS Regulations 2007. It has now given the DTH operator 21 days to furnish the compliance report of this direction asking it to refund its customers from the date of issuance of this direction.
