The All Local Cable Operator Association (ALCOA) of Delhi yesterday filed a petition in telecom and broadcasting disputes tribunal TDSAT challenging regulator TRAI’s November 2022 amended tariff regulation, saying it’s anti-consumer.

TDAST posted the case for a hearing on April 19

The petition states: “It is pertinent to mention that since the 2017 regulatory framework, the effective cost to consumers has only increased.”

In support of its claims, the petitioner has included a chart that highlights the comparison of channel prices of prominent entertainment channels.

ALOCAO has also submitted in its petition that it submitted various representations to TRAI, which elicited no response from the regulator.

“The appellant has been agitating the grievances faced by the LCOs as well as the interest of the consumers by sending various representations to the respondent (TRAI), specifically on the issue of pricing of the channels by the broadcasters. However, the respondent have not taken any interest in even to respond to the same. Copies of the representations dated 05.01.2022, 16.01.2022, 18.01.2022 and 07.02.2022 made to the Respondents are annexed,” the petition added.

It went to emphasise that ALCOA had submitted its comments and suggestions to the consultation paper on the “impugned amended

regulations and tariff order of November 2022 which have been completely ignored” and not considered by TRAI while formulating its guidelines on tariff.

“After the notification of the impugned tariff order the appellant had sent a detailed representation to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the respondent highlighting the discrepancies in the impugned tariff order and requesting them the issues faced by the LCOs as well as the end consumers,” the petitioner said.

The move to petition TDSAT is the latest action on the tariff regulation front. Earlier, the MSOs, through their industry body AIDCF, had petitioned the Kerala High Court against TRAI’s tariff guidelines.