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के (cid:574)ीय सूचना आयोग

Central Information Commission

बाबा गंगनाथ माग(cid:330), मुिनरका

Baba Gangnath Marg, Munirka

नई िद(cid:671)ी, New Delhi – 110067

File No: CIC/TRAOI/A/2025/615977

Sunil Sudhakar Deshpande .….अपीलकता(cid:330)/Appellant

VERSUS

बनाम

1.CPIO

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION &

BROADCASTING Room No 755, A

Wing Shastri Bhawan,

Rajendra Prasad Road NEw

Delhi – 110001

2.CPIO

The Public Information Officer

(PIO), Telecom Regulatory

Authority of India

(TRAI), Mahanagar Doorsanchar

Bhawan, Jawaharlal Nehru

Marg, Old Minto Road, New

Delhi - 110002 ….(cid:366)ितवादीगण /Respondent

Date of Hearing : 08.05.2026

Date of Decision : 12.05.2026

INFORMATION COMMISSIONER : Jaya Varma Sinha

Relevant facts emerging from appeal:

RTI application filed on : 05.02.2025

CPIO replied on : 06.03.2025

First appeal filed on : 07.03.2025

First Appellate Authority’s order : 03.04.2025

2nd Appeal dated : 05.04.2025

CIC/TRAOI/A/2025/615977 Page 1 of 5

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Information sought:

1. The Appellant filed an RTI application dated 05.02.2025(online) seeking

the following information:

“I am filing this request under the Right to Information Act, 2005, to seek

information regarding Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited's compliance with

TRAI regulations. Please provide the following details:

License Fee Compliance

Total license fees paid by Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited over the past five

years.

Any discrepancies or violations identified in the company's compliance with

TRAI's licensing fee regulations.

Regulatory Filings & Compliance Reports

Copies of compliance reports submitted by the company to TRAI regarding

adherence to TRAI's policies.

Any penalties, warnings, or notices issued by TRAI to the company regarding

regulatory violations.

Agreement Registration & Stamp Duty Compliance

Information on whether Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited's agreements with

Local Cable Operators (LCOs) are registered as per regulatory requirements.

Any audits or investigations conducted by TRAI into the financial and

operational compliance of the company.

Consumer Complaints & Redressal Mechanism

Number and nature of consumer complaints received against the company in

the past three years.

Details of actions taken by TRAI in response to these complaints.

Auditing & Financial Transparency

Whether TRAI has identified any inconsistencies in the company's financial

disclosures related to telecom services.

Copies of any internal audits or assessments regarding Hathway Cable &

Datacom Limited's regulatory compliance.

I request that the above information be provided in certified copies. If any

information is exempt from disclosure under the RTI Act, please provide the

relevant exemption clause and reasons for non-disclosure."

2. The CPIO furnished a reply to the Appellant on 06.03.2025 stating as

under:

CIC/TRAOI/A/2025/615977 Page 2 of 5

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“In respect of license fees, MSOs are not required to pay any license fees

according to the Cable Television Network Act, 1995. They are only requested to

pay one time processing fee of Rs. 1 Lakh at the time of grant / renewal of

registration. Other information sought by you does not pertain to the DAS

Section.”

3. Being dissatisfied, the Appellant filed a First Appeal dated 07.03.2025.

FAA vide its order dated 03.04.2025, held as under:

“Being aggrieved, Shri Sunil Sudhakar Deshpande vide appeal No.

ΜΟΙΑΒ/Α/Ε/24/00008 dated 07.03.2025, has preferred first appeal before the

undersigned on the grounds that incomplete, misleading or false information

was provided to him.

In light of the appeal application filed, the CPIO is directed to re-examine the RTI

application dated 07.02.2025 and to provide the reply to the applicant within a

week.”

4. Feeling aggrieved and dissatisfied, Appellant approached the Commission

with the instant Second Appeal.

Relevant Facts emerged during Hearing:

The following were present:-

Appellant: Absent.

Respondent: Sh. Shakti Singh, CPIO-cum - Under Secretary, Shastri Bhawan,

New Delhi, Sh. Jitendra Kumar Joshi, CPIO, TRAI, Lt. Col Abhishek Kumar Singh,

PIO, TRAI and Sh. Shishir