New Delhi: Government today (Dec 23, 2003) made it mandatory for cable operators to offer consumers an option of taking set top boxes (STB) on rent while asserting that the success of Conditional Access System (CAS) in South Delhi will determine whether it gets implemented in the rest of the city.

In a notification, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said, "every consumer must be given a choice of either purchasing STBs outright or acquiring it through rental scheme which will entitle them to a refund should they not wish to use the STB for any reason."

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and I&B Minister Ravi Shanker Prasad, who met today, also decided to set up a dedicated consumer court to settle cable-related disputes and appoint sub-divisional magistrates as nodal regulators for CAS implementation.

"Yes, some implementation hiccups have occurred (on CAS in South Delhi) but we want the system to be consumer-friendly. Implementation of CAS in the rest of Delhi will depend upon its success in South Delhi," Prasad told reporters in New Delhi.

"We would expect all stakeholders to settle any corporate rivalry to address these issues adequately and not to jeopardise the implementation of CAS in other areas," he added.

Asked if Government was considering CAS rollback, both Prasad and Dikshit replied in the negative.

The Delhi CM said her Government would issue another advertisement explaining all issues related to CAS while asking cable operators to take the lead in explaining CAS to consumers.