Cable operators fleece clueless set-top-box customers

KOLKATA: Have you ever imagined how life would be without television? The very thought can spoil your mood. Television has become an inseparable part of lives and that is exactly what cable operators are taking advantage of.


The transition process of the cable television regime from analog to digital has been full of glitches and anything but transparent. To top it, the rates of set-top-boxes (STB) haven't been standardized. While in some areas of the city operators are asking for Rs 600 per STB, in others they are asking for double the price. Perplexed customers are wondering if an STB would be the ideal choice or a direct-to-home (DTH) service would be better.

Madhu Sardar, a resident of Rammoy Road in Bhowanipore, said his cable operator is asking for Rs 800 to install the STB, but has hinted that the post-installation monthly rental will increase from Rs 200 to Rs 300. "It is indeed very confusing. If this confusion continues, I will opt for DTH," he said. Sarkar subscribes to Siti Cable.

The information and broadcasting ministry has recently decided to extend the date of digitization rollout from July 1, 2012 to November 1, 2012. All the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) rules for digital addressable system (DAS) will come into effect from November 1, 2012.


Kolkata Police has given strict instructions to the multi-service operators (MSO) that they should be transparent about the rates and stocks of STBs so that the end customers are not harassed by cable operators.

Debrata Bandyopadhyay of Bagbazar relayed an even queerer tale. "We have three rates prevailing in our area. Our cable operator said they can install STBs at Rs 600, Rs 800 or Rs 1,500," he quipped. To avoid any post-installation problems, Bandyopadhyay opted for the Rs 1,500 variety, which comes with a three-year guarantee, replacement in case the machine develops a problem. In case of the Rs 600 variety, the monthly rental is supposed to increase.