28 July 2006- With the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) news channel off air in Bhutan for over a month, and more channels likely to be so, local service providers are turning to authorities for help.
“It is becoming very difficult for cable operators and we are seeking intervention from Bhutan Information, Communication and Media Authority (BICMA) and Ministry of Information and Communication,” said the general secretary of the association of private cable operators (APCO), Kinlay Dorji.
He told Kuensel that negotiation with the distributor, an India-based Dati Corporation, through telephone and correspondence, had not been able to bear any results.
“It is becoming even more difficult to negotiate on the rates as almost all the channels are becoming encrypted,” he said, adding that otherwise, the government would have to look into providing a subsidy, or revise the customer service charge.
The Indian distributor and the Bhutanese cable operators are expected to sit down next week in Thimphu to see what could be agreed upon.
The BBC World was encrypted since June 15 and its distribution was taken over by the India distributor, affecting Bhutan and other South Asian countries.
The distributor had proposed a Nu. 5 per subscriber a month, which the local cable operators found expensive.
A spokesperson for the Bhutan Broadcasting Service, which is one of the multi-service operators, said the cable service providers had not confirmed if they want to air BBC World.
“But it is confirmed that the channel will not be available without paying for it,” the spokesperson told Kuensel.
“It appears like the operators are not interested to pay for the channel right now, unless the rates are reasonably negotiated or the government agrees to increase the customer service charge which, may not be.”
The BBS would subscribe for it only if the operators agreed to pay.
The Bhutan Information, Communication and Media Authority (BICMA) had written to both the multi-service operators to straighten out with the cable operators and reach a solution.
Except for Korean Arirang, Chinese CCTV, and South-Indian channels, most were pay channels or becoming one. It is said that once customer develop a taste for a channel, it would put up its price.
“Definitely more channels will be encrypted, as is the trend once customers develop a taste,” said a BBS spokesperson. Other popular news channels in the country, CNN and NDTV were also pay channels.
The channels becoming encrypted or hiking its price mostly affected small customer base operators and in Bhutan most were such operators.
Only few districts like Thimphu and Phuentsholing had a larger customer base.
According to the BBS spokesperson, works are on to air Singapore-based Channel News Asia from next month on. It was free.
By Bishal Rai
bishalrai@kuensel.com.bt
