New Delhi: The long-awaited Bill seeking to make it mandatory for cable TV viewers to access desired pay channels through an addressable system was passed by Parliament on December 10, with the government assuring that it will not regulate content or specify channels through it.

The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2002 passed by Lok Sabha, was approved by Rajya Sabha on December 10.

Replying to the debate, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj said cost of the set-top box, needed to access pay channels, will have to be borne by the consumer and the technology for this apparatus can be either analog or digital.

As per estimates by the Consumer Electronics and TV Manufacturers Association (CETMA), while one lakh such boxes will cost Rs 2,500 each, 10 lakh of them will cost only Rs 1500 each and since the country is estimated to have over 3.5 crore cable households, the cost will come down, Swaraj said.

The Minister said though the government will decide the maximum subscription for the package of free-to-air channels, that of pay channels will be left to the broadcasters.

PTI