Cable Television, an innovation In the Indian context, by hooking up of 26 million Cable TV homes, without any support, financial or moral, from the government of India, became a centre of attraction, from the taxation angle by the Indian Revenue service, by way of levy of all sorts of taxes arbitrarily. Uninformed politicians and bureaucrats view this facility only as Home Cinema’ and cause harassment of the people engaged in this occupation. Down the line, in the enforcement machinery, this industry has been acing the onslaught of corrupt officials, who are semi-literate and as uninformed as their masters.
Upto 1994, satellite reception and its cable casting/from satellites other than IMSAT, was considered illegal by the Govt.. but such systems were installed from Rashtrapati Bhawan clown to residences of Ministers and bureaucrats, at public expenses. Then in 1994, an ordinance was promulgated, which was later christened Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. The earlier approach of not legalising TVRO (Television Receive Only), i.e. Dish Antenna, had suddenly nose dived when it was realised that this facility was, at the state level, the cheapest option for enhancing Doordarshan’s reach to the 950 million inhabitants. Once legalised, this facility benefited other broadcasters, Indian and foreign, who could deliver variety in the programme menu. Cable TV, as a facility, opened the window to the world, for the poor Indians, at an affordable cost. Later this service was recognized as a small scale industry by the Government, but no financial institution was willing to sanction finance for this orphan.
