New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a retooled tariff plan for satellite channels with a total ceiling for cable TV services in regions that have not been brought under the Conditional Access System (CAS).

It will be valid from December 1, and the country has been parted into three classes for setting up duties. All non-CAS subscribers will have to pay Rs. 77 on a monthly basis for a minimum of 30 free-to-air channels (FTAs).

The maximum limit for a minimum of 30 FTAs and over 45 pay channels is Rs. 260 in Class ‘A-1’ & ‘A’ cities, Rs. 220 in Class ‘B-1’ and ‘B-2’ cities, and Rs. 200 in other segments.

In between, there are three other duty blocks for a changeable number of channels. These tariffs will be applicable only to ordinary subscribers, hotels and other business organizations, which will have to continue paying according to the earlier tariff order of TRAI.

According to the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Second) Tariff (Eighth Amendment) Order, 2007, broadcasters will have to offer all channels on a la carte basis with individual rates to the cable operators.

While channel bouquets can also be offered up, the TRAI has tried to avert “perverse pricing of bouquets” and established limits to make sure that a la carte option is successful. The sum of a la carte rates cannot go beyond 1.5 times the bouquet fee. Moreover, the la carte cost of each channel cannot be more than three times the average rate of the pay channel in the bouquet.