Broadcast regulator TRAI on Thursday recommended, amongst other things, that renewal of MSO registrations should be done for a period of 10 years with the processing fee being Rs. 100,000 (Rs. 1 lakh), while suggesting that existing policies on uplink/downlink be revised to bar broadcasters from supplying signals to those MSOs whose registrations have expired.

Making its recommendations on ‘Renewal of Multi-System Operators (MSOs) Registration’, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) suggested that a list of all the MSOs, whose applications are pending with MIB for renewal, should be available on a portal in public domain.

Further, that if an application by an MSO is under consideration (pending a decision), then such an entity should get deemed provisional extension till a final decision is made.

Amongst TRAI’s other recommendations are included the following:

# The window for applying for renewal of registrations should open not earlier than seven months from the date of expiry and not later than two months prior to the date of expiry.

# Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) should maintain the list of MSOs with due date of expiry on its website starting from the latest due date.

# An automated communication, as a reminder of the due date of expiry, should be sent by MIB at least seven months prior to the date of expiry to respective MSOs.

# In case, the applicant applies within two months of impending expiry, MIB may decide whether to entertain such application for renewal on consideration of cause of such delayed application.

# No application for renewal may be entertained by MIB if made on or after the date of expiry of existing registration.

# All such registrations, which have either expired or about to expire within the next eight months from the date of implementation of decision of MIB with reference to renewal of MSOs registration, should be deemed to expire after eight months from the date of implementation of the rules/guidelines for renewal.

# Extant guidelines for uplinking and downlinking of television channels be appropriately amended to ensure that broadcasters do not provide signals to such MSOs whose registration has expired.

# MIB should publish on its website the list of such MSOs who have not applied for renewal within the prescribed time period within their due date of expiry.

# The registration status of such MSO shall be deemed to be cancelled, post the expiry date.

# The application process for renewal shall be made end-to-end online with facility to upload all the documents in digital mode via single point facility, Broadcast Seva Portal.

# All the documents listed on the Broadcast Seva Portal, which are necessary for registration as an MSO, shall also be required for renewal of such registration.

# While applying for renewal, an MSO should inform the area of operations (State-wise and district-wise within the States). This will enable the licensor/regulator to have exact information of the area of operation of an MSO at the time of renewal.

# Every renewal application shall be referred to TRAI for confirmation on compliance of extant rules and regulations. The process of seeking confirmation of compliance may be online through Broadcast Seva portal.

# The Authority will provide explicit instances of non-compliance, if such is the case, within 15 days of online referral. For the purposes of transparency and clarity, TRAI shall release a detailed circular on its website that shall contain the specifics of the review process and grounds of such review by it. If the Authority does not respond within 15 days of such referrals, then compliance may be deemed as confirmed.