Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday sought clarification from the Union government on a notification issued by it directing cable TV subscribers in municipalities and municipal corporations of AP and Telangana states to purchase set top boxes by January 31, 2017.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Shameem Akhter was dealing with a petition by Citizens Welfare Society of the city seeking to declare the action of the respondents in compelling the cable TV subscribers to purchase set top boxes and threatening cable operators that they shall not carry on the existing analogue form of transmission with effect from January 31, as atrocious, unwarranted and unlawful and violative of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
C. Ramachandra Raju, counsel appearing for the petitioner, said that the Centre issued a notification in 2011 for digitising transmission of TV programmes via Digital Addressable System through set top boxes in the place of analogue system that runs through cable TV mode.
Mr Raju said in the first two phases, major cities were covered and now the Centre has started the third phase of DAS covering small towns in AP and TS.
He said that the authorities were threatening that if subscribers do not equip their TVs with set top boxes by January 31, there will be no transmission from February 1.
He submitted that though there will be improvement in picture quality through the set top box, there is no compulsion in law for installation of such boxes. He said it is the choice of viewers to opt for transmission either through analogue or DAS modes.
Mr Raju urged the court to direct the respondents not to stop transmission of TV signals in analogue mode. The bench granted a week to the Centre to respond to the petition.
