New Delhi, Jul 11 (KNN)  Cable operators in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata have appealed to the Telecom Regulation Authority of India (TRAI) for more time to collect and file the Know Your Customer (KYC) forms.

On June-25 TRAI had extended the time-line for submission of consumer application forms (CAFs), complete in all respects, by the subscribers of digital addressable cable TV systems to July-10, as a last extension.

It has also warned that signals to the homes of customers who hadn’t given these in would be cut.  If this goes according to plan, hundreds of thousands face TV black out in the three metros.

However, cable operators’ body has said that it needed more time, citing reasons such as unavailability of form in vernacular languages, vastness of the  project with many loopholes; and has therefore asked for an additional six months.

There are about 2.84 million cable TV subscribers in the three metros and a third of them are on the digital addressable system which are likely to face a blackout from today.

According to Trai, over 70 per cent of the forms have been collected in Delhi and Mumbai and less than half in Kolkata.

“Our focus for this drive was Delhi and we have received 76 per cent of the KYC forms. The MSOs have been mandated by Trai to stop the signals to subscribers whose forms are not with us. Once we get the forms from these subscribers, signals to their homes will be started,” said a media report quoting deputy advisor, broadcasting and cable services division at Trai, G S Kesarwani.

On the other hand, broadcasters and distribution companies feel that cable operators were not submitting forms on purpose as they do not want to share their revenue with broadcasters.  (KNN)