The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has taken action to terminate the registration of 477 Multi System Operators (MSOs), which manage multiple cable television systems, due to various violations and non-compliance with established rules and regulations.

The Ministry’s decision is based on clear terms and conditions that were set when granting registration to these operators. These conditions included compliance with the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act and its associated rules, adherence to specific guidelines, and periodic submission of subscriber lists and other details as requested by the Ministry, The Hindu reported.

One significant requirement, as stated in Regulation 15(1) of the Interconnection Regulations of 2017, mandated that every distributor of channels must conduct an annual audit of their system. However, the Ministry found that the MSOs in question failed to conduct audits for the calendar years 2021 and/or 2022, as well as not providing requested information such as seeding dates.

Consequently, the Ministry classified these MSOs as “Non-Compliant” and, through an advisory dated March 23, instructed all broadcasters not to engage in interconnection agreements with non-compliant MSOs. Despite this classification, the MSOs did not seek to change their status to “Compliant.”

Show-cause notices were then issued to these MSOs on July 25, asking for explanations regarding the violations. They were given 15 days to respond. However, the MSOs failed to provide the necessary clarification within the stipulated period. Subsequently, on August 24, 2023, the Ministry issued a communication requesting the required information within 15 days.

Since the MSOs once again failed to meet the Ministry’s requirements, a final opportunity was granted through letters dated September 20, extending the deadline to October 10. Nevertheless, the MSOs did not respond or provide the necessary information, leading to the ultimate cancellation of their registrations.

The affected MSOs have been given a 30-day window to appeal this decision before the Information & Broadcasting Secretary.