NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 26: Cracks appeared in Cable TV Operators United Front today with a section of the operators responding positively to the government's call for lifting the three-day blackout while others decided to prolong the stir.Rakesh Datta, member of the action committee, clarified that a decision on the ban would be taken Wednesday after submitting a memo to the Information and Broadcating Minister. On the other hand, Roop Sharma, president of Cable Operators Federation of India, said her association was likely to lift the ban Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.Sharma's changed stance came in the wake of a three-hour meeting with Prasar Bharati Corporation CEO R.R. Shah Tuesday afternoon. "Shah assured us that our grievances would be addressed," Sharma said. Senior Doordarshan officials said the meeting with cable operators had ended on a positive note and it was up to them to arrive at a decision.Speaking to Newsline, Sharma said her association was interested in finding a solution to the problems independent cable operators faced and if these were addressed there was no reason to persist with their stir.Operators had given the strike call following the government's decision to amend the Cable Networks Regulation Act, 1995. Most of them wanted the government to absolve them of the responsibility for relaying programmes and ads shown by satellite channels; a single-window system through with copyrights of films could be obtained legally at a reasonable fee; and a ban on revenue generation through ads on encrypted channels.With I&B Minister Arun Jaitley and Shah assuring cable operators that their grievances would be looked into, Sharma and her association members feel no need to prolong their stir. Shah, according to sources, assured agitating cable operators that the proposed Convergence Bill with provisions for a regulatory authority would address the problems of encrypted vs free-to-air channels. As far as the issue of video piracy was concerned, it is learnt that Shah has assured operators the ministry would request the Human Resource Development Ministry to look into the piracy and copyright issue.While Sharma and other operators seemed satisfied with the government assurances, Datta who claims to represent a majority of independent cable operators, said Sharma was not a part of the Front agitating for the rights of cable operators. "We will not listen to her and she is not a part of our committee," Datta said.The battle between the cable operators continued with neither side willing to budge from their position. No one seems to have the viewers in mind.
