Hawa Mahal of TRAI

I wonder, whether TRAI representatives are sitting in some Hawa Mahal and taking decisions ?

Surely there are people who want to get maximum channels at a reasonable price. But is that all?

It is like considering that every citizen of the country travels only by a State Road Transport Bus facility.

Whom are we fooling by ignoring those who travel in their own car or take economy flights from one place to another? Or is it TRAI’s inability to understand the issue?

I, as a TV viewer, wish to receive various TV channels at a reasonable cost, but NOT necessarily at the lowest and cheapest prices. Because with the reduction in prices, the quality gets screwed up. I would want to watch a quality telecast. Any government department (other than Military, ISRO, and the likes) does NOT understand what a service to be given is. They all assume that their position makes them full of knowledge over the others. Does TRAI have no such experience to understand the basic needs of any and every viewer?

I would want to get an uninterrupted telecast of the channels, which I have opted to pay for. This does NOT happen even after recent TRAI ruling. The service provider gives one or the other reason, like faulty Set Top Box, or the signal receiving dish needs to get a new receiver, (for which extra money is demanded by the DTH service operators). Either one pays that extra money, or even after this recent TRAI order, one pays for the channel, but one does NOT receive them. Thanks to ignorant TRAI, who cannot perceive such problem due to lack of basic understanding of the subject, nor has any machinery to audit the circumstances.

The second thing I want, is to allow various channels to have a Commercial break to show advertisements. Fine. But during the telecast of any program, be it a news, entertainment, sports, movie, or whatever, there MUST NOT be any advertisement, distracting the viewer from watching the program of one’s choice, for which one has paid as per recent TRAI order.

But No. When a program is being telecast, there are continuous advertisements appearing on the screen or at the bottom of the screen, (many times even blocking the captions from the program being watched). TRAI people do NOT watch TV, have never seen such thing happening in their life time, or are ‘looking the other way’ from such telecast and are allowing it to happen.

Sometimes the screen of the TV shrinks, leaving an “L” shaped space on left side and bottom, where advertisements are shown.

WHY ? If Commercial breaks are available, why should any advertisement appear during the telecast of the program? Why can’t the viewer enjoy the full screen view of the size of the TV he/she has purchased? Only because of in capabilities of TRAI in handling the matter?

Lastly, I can understand “Free” channels having large commercial breaks, because they survive on advertisement income.

Why any paid channel should have large commercial breaks? Why has TRAI NOT put a cap on the time for such commercial breaks? Why are the advertisements appearing during telecast of programs on paid channels? What is holding TRAI in having a clear cut policy in the matter?

Why can’t TRAI think a Two Tier Policy? One for those, who want minimum monthly bill. Second for those, who wish to enjoy whatever they are watching, without any distractions allowed by TRAI?

If the reader agrees with my view point, please mark this message “Helpful”, so that with maximum helpful counts, it cannot get ignored by the TRAI authorities.

Jai Hind more