R.3 Application for registration as a cable television network in India

       (1) Every application for registration as a cable television network in India shall be made in writing in Form 1 and shall be renewable after every twelve months.
       (2) The application shall be addressed to the Registering Authority and delivered to his office in Form 1.
       1[(3) (a) Every application for registration or renewal of registration shall be accompanied by—
        (i) a fee of rupees five hundred only; and
        (ii) the requisite documents mentioned in Form 1 and Form 2.
       (b) Every application for issue of duplicate certificate of registration shall be accompanied by—
        (i) a fee of rupees two hundred and fifty only; and
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R.4 Examination of applications

       On receipt of an application under rule 3 the registering authority shall examine the application having regard to the provisions of section 4 of the Ordinance*.
        
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        * Now the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 (7 of 1995).

R.5 Registration

       1[(1)] On being satisfied that the applicant fulfils the provisions of the Act, the registering authority shall issue a registration certificate in Form 3:
       Provided that where the registering authority is satisfied that the registration cannot be granted to the applicant, he shall inform the applicant in Form 4.
       2[(2) On receipt of an application under clause (b), sub-rule (3) of rule 3 for issue of duplicate certificate the Registering Authority shall examine the application having regard to the provisions of rule 3 and shall issue a duplicate Registration Certificate in Form 3A.]
        
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        1. Rule 2 renumbered as sub-rule (1) thereof by G.S.R. 459(E), dated 8th October, 1996 (w.e.f. 8-10-1996).
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R.6 Programme Code

       (1) No programme should be carried in the cable service which—
        (a) offends against good taste or decency;
        (b) contains criticism of friendly countries;
        (c) contains attack on religions or communities or visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups or which promote communal attitudes;
        (d) contains anything obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and suggestive innuendos and half truths;
        (e) is likely to encourage or incite violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order or which promote anti-national attitudes;
        (f) contains anything amounting to contempt of court;
     

R.7 Advertising Code

       (1) Advertising carried in the cable service shall be so designed as to conform to the laws of the country and should not offend morality, decency and religious susceptibilities of the subscribers.
       (2) No advertisement shall be permitted which—
        (i) derides any race, caste, colour, creed and nationality;
        (ii) is against any provision of the Constitution of India;
        (iii) tends to incite people to crime, cause disorder or violence or breach of law or glorifies violence or obscenity in any way;
        (iv) presents criminality as desirable;
        (v) exploits the national emblem, or any part of the Constitution or the person or personality of a na

R.8 Register

       Each cable operator shall maintain a register in Form 5 for each month of the year for which the registration is granted.

R.9 Standard interconnection agreements, tariffs and quality of service standards for the service providers in the areas notified under section 4A of the Act

       The Authority may, on issue of any notification under section 4A of the Act by the Central Government, take appropriate decisions on the following aspects and duly notify the—
        (a) standard interconnection agreement to be used for entering into commercial agreements for distribution in the notified areas, of pay or free-to-air channels among (i) broadcasters and multi-system operators; and (ii) multi-system operators and local cable operators;
        (b) the maximum limits of security deposit and monthly rental for supply, maintenance and servicing of Set Top Boxes of prescribed specifications to the subscribers on rental basis by multi-system operators in the notified areas;
        (c) tariff for the basic service tier along with the minimum number of free-to-air channels to be provided

R.10 Nature and prices of channels

       (1) Every broadcaster shall declare the nature of each of its channels as ‘pay’ or ‘free-to-air’ channel as well as the maximum retail price of each of its ‘pay’ channels to be charged by the multi-system operators or local cable operators from the subscribers in each of the notified areas.
       (2) Every broadcaster shall file his declaration of the nature and prices of channels under sub-rule (1) before the Authority and the Central Government within fifteen days of the date of notification by the Central Government under section 4A of the Act.
       (3) If in the opinion of the Authority, the price declared by the broadcaster in respect of any of its pay channels is too high, the Authority may, under section 11 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 (24 of 1997), fix and declare the maximum retail price of such a pay channel or f

R.11 Grant of permission to multi-system operators to provide cable services with addressable systems in the notified areas

       (1) No multi-system operator shall provide cable television network services with addressable systems in any one or more notified areas without a valid permission from the Central Government under sub-rule (3) of rule 11.
       (2) Every multi-system operator who desires to provide cable television network services with addressable systems in any of the notified areas, shall, within thirty days of the issue of the notifications under section 4A of the Act by the Central Government, apply for permission to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Form 6 annexed to these rules, along with processing fee of rupees ten thousand.
       (3) The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in the Government of India shall, within thirty days of the receipt of the application, grant, or refuse, permission to the applicant to provide addressable systems i

R.12 Public awareness campaign about Conditional Access System scheme

       (1) Every multi-system operator granted permission under sub-rule (3) of rule 11 shall create public awareness among the subscribers in the notified areas for a period of thirty days from the date to be specified by the Authority, either through advertisements in the print and electronic media or through other means (e.g. leaflets, printing on the reverse of the receipts, personal visits, group meetings with subscribers or consumer groups etc.) the salient features of the Conditional Access System scheme as approved by the Authority for implementation, by the multi-system operator, in the notified areas, and in particular the following:—
        (a) A-la-carte subscription rates and the periodic intervals at which such subscriptions are payable for receiving the various pay channels;
        (b) the refundable security deposit and the dail

R.13 Supply and installation of Set Top Boxes

       (1) Every subscriber in the notified areas who desires to receive one or more pay channels shall, during the public awareness campaign under rule 12 or within fifteen days after its expiry, apply to any one of the multi-system operators granted permission under sub-rule (3) of rule 11 either directly or through any of his linked local cable operators, to supply and install one or more Set Top Boxes in his premises as per the scheme approved by the Authority and deliver the requisite channels through the same:
       Provided that every subscriber shall be free to buy a Set Top Box of approved quality from the open market, if available and technically compatible with the multi-system operator’s system, and no multi-system operator or cable operator shall force any subscriber to buy or to take on rent the Set Top Box from him only.
       (2) Every subs

R.14 Dispute Resolution Mechanism

       Every multi-system operator shall be obliged to maintain the quality of service as per the standards, including the arrangements for handling complaints and redressal of grievances of the subscribers, as may be determined by regulation or order by the Authority. The Authority may look into the efficacy of such arrangements and issue necessary directions to the concerned parties for compliance.]
        
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        1. Subs. by G.S.R. 452(E), dated 31st July, 2006, for rule 14 (w.e.f. 31-7-2006). Rule 14, before substitution, stood as under:
       “14. Manner of making provisions for rent, security deposit, etc. for Set Top Boxes.—(1) The Cable Operator will intimate to each cable subscriber in writing and at least fifteen days before the introduction of ‘Condition

R.15 Transition to addressable systems

       (1) Immediately on operationalisation of the subscriber management system and the installation of the Set Top Boxes under rule 13, every multi-system operator shall start transmitting the pay channels in encrypted as well as unencrypted form for a period of not less than fifteen days to test out the quality of service, remove any technical or operational snags and enable the subscribers to become familiar with the operation of addressable systems at their end.
       (2) Before the start of the transition period under sub-rule (1), the Authority may call for progress or compliance reports from the service providers in the Forms appended to these rules, and at intervals, as may be specified by it to satisfy itself that all the multi-system operators permitted under sub-rule (3) of rule 11 have completed all the necessary arrangements to switch over to transmission of pay channels through a