TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has issued a consultation paper on issues relating to uplinking and downlinking of television channels in India.
India has more than 880 permitted satellite TV channels, around 80 teleports, 7 DTH operators, 1,500 multi-system operators and large number of cable TV operators. The total revenue of TV industry is INR 58,800 crore as per the industry estimates with CAGR of more than 15 percent. There are approximately 183 million TV households.
What should be the definition for News and Current Affairs TV channels, and Non-News and Current Affairs TV channels?
What should be net-worth of the applicant company for granting uplinking permission, and/ or downlinking permission?
Should there be different net-worth requirements for uplinking of News and non-News channels?
What should be the increase in the amount of non-refundable processing fee to be deposited by the applicant company along with each application for seeking permission under uplinking guidelines, and downlinking guidelines?
Whether auction of satellite TV channels as a complete package similar to FM Radio channels is feasible?
Is it technically feasible to auction individual legs of satellite TV broadcasting i.e. uplinking space spectrum, satellite transponder capacity, and downlinking space spectrum?
Is it feasible to auction satellite TV channels without restricting the use of foreign satellites, and uplinking of signals of TV channels from foreign soil?
Is it advisable to restrict use of foreign satellites for satellite TV broadcasting or uplinking of satellite TV channels, to be downlinked in gndia, from foreign soil?
Can there be better way to grant license for TV satellite channel then what is presently followed?
If it is decided to continue granting of licenses for satellite TV channels on administrative basis, as is the case presently, what should be the entry fee for grant of license for uplinking of TV channels from India, downlinking of TV channels uplinked from India, and downlinking of foreign TV channels?
What should be the license fees structure, i.e. fixed, variable, or semi-variable, for uplinking and downlinking of satellite TV 49 channels?
If the variable license fee structure is proposed, then what should be rate of license fee for TV channels uplinked from India and TV channels uplinked from abroad, and what should be the definition of AGR?
If the semi-variable license fee structure is proposed, then what should be the minimum amount of license fee per annum for domestic channels (uplinked and downlinked in gndia), uplink only channels, and downlinking of foreign channels (uplinked from abroad)?
If the fixed license fee structure is proposed, then what should be the license fee per annum for domestic channels, uplink only channels, and downlinking of foreign channels?
What should be the periodicity for payment of the license fee to the Government? What should be the periodicity for review of the entry fee and license fee rates?
Should all TV channels, i.e. pay as well as FTA satellite TV channels, be broadcasted through satellite in encrypted mode? Please elaborate your responses with justification.
What could be suggested penal actions to ensure continuity of services after obtaining license for satellite TV channel?
What should be the new guidelines for transfer of license/ permission for a TV channel under uplinking guidelines, and downlinking guidelines?
Should there be a lock in period for transfer of license/ permission for uplinking, or downlinking of a TV channel?
What should be Entry fee, Processing fee, and License fee for teleport license?
What should be the number of teleports in India? Will restrictions on the number of teleports affect the availability or rates of uplinking facilities for TV channels in India? What should be the criteria, if any, for selecting location of teleports? Suggest the ways for the optimal use of existing infrastructure relating to teleports.
