Cable operators are concerned

Thimphu, January 15: The national cable operators have come heavily against the introduction of Direct-to-Home (DTH) television commonly known as Dish TV, though it has been welcomed by public.

With this, the cabinet has asked the Bhutan InfoCom and Media Authority to regulate the Dish TV. With the order from the government, BICMA has started working for a regulatory mechanism whereby people will have to buy the DTH from a national dealer.

The cable operators say their viewers would go down if the DTH are allowed to go unchecked and government has to loose the revenue as well. One of them said “We invested a lot in our business but the profit hasn’t been huge. So with the advent of Dish TV we are surely going to lose our business.”

A delegation of the cable operators called on the Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley on December 22 and Minister for Information and Communication Nandalal Rai asking the government to give a solution. PM has assured the cable operators that DTH users will also be taxed.

There are 48 cable operators in the country.
Source: Bhutan News Service