- THE CABLE TELEVISION NETWORKS (REGULATION) ACT, 1995
- CHAPTER I PRELIMINARY
- 1. Short title, extent and commencement
- 2. Definitions
- CHAPTER II REGULATION OF CABLE TELEVISION NETWORK
- 3. Cable television network not to be operated except after reg-istration
- 4. Registration as cable operator
- 4A. Transmission of programmes through addressable sys-tem, etc
- 5. Programme code
- 6. Advertisement code
- 7. Maintenance of register
- 8. Compulsory transmission of Doordarshan channels
- 9. Use of standard equipment in cable television network
- 10. Cable television network not to interfere with any tele-communication system
- CHAPTER III SEIZURE AND CONFISCATION OF CERTAIN EQUIPMENT
- 12. Confiscation
- 13. Seizure or confiscation of equipment not to interfere with other punishment
- 14. Giving of opportunity to the cable operator of seized equipment
- 15. Appeal
- CHAPTER IV OFFENCES AND PENALTIES
- 16. Punishment for contravention of provisions of this Act
- 17. Offences by companies
- 18. Cognizance of offences
- CHAPTER V MISCELLANEOUS
- 19. Power to prohibit transmission of certain programmes in public interest
- 20. Power to prohibit operation of cable television network in public interest
- 21. Application of other laws not barred
- 22. Power to make rules
- 23.Repeal and savings
- 11. Power to seize equipment used for operating the cable tele-vision network
THE CABLE TELEVISION NETWORKS (REGULATION) ACT, 1995
CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY
1. Short title, extent and commencement 137
2. Definitions 137
CHAPTER II
REGULATION OF CABLE TELEVISION NETWORK
3. Cable television network not to be operated except after registration 138
4. Registration as cable operator 138
4A. Transmission of programmes through ad-dressable system, etc. 139
5. Programme code 140
6. Advertisement code 141
7. Maintenance of register 141
8. Compulsory transmission of Doordarshan channels 141
9. Use of standard equipment in cable television network 141
10. Cable television network not to interfere with any telecommunication system 142
CHAPTER III
SEIZURE AND CONFISCATION OF CERTAIN EQUIPMENT
11. Power to seize equipment used for operating the cable television network 142
12. Confiscation 142
13. Seizure or confiscation of equipment not to in-terfere with other punishment 142
14. Giving of opportunity to the cable operator of seized equipment 142
15. Appeal 143
CHAPTER IV
OFFENCES AND PENALTIES
16. Punishment for contravention of provisions of this Act 143
17. Offences by companies 143
18. Cognizance of offences 144
CHAPTER V
MISCELLANEOUS
19. Power to prohibit transmission of certain pro-grammes in public interest 144
20. Power to prohibit operation of cable television network in public interest 144
21. Application of other laws not barred 144
22. Power to make rules 145
23. Repeal and savings 145
__________________
THE CABLE TELEVISION NETWORKS (REGULATION) ACT, 1995 1
AN
ACT
to regulate the operation of cable television networks in the country and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Forty-sixth Year of the Repub-lic of India as follows.
CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY
1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.
(2) It extends to the whole of India.
(3) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 29th day of September, 1994.
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise re-quires,—
2 [(a) ‘authorised officer’ means, within his local limits of jurisdic-tion;-
(i) a District Magistrate, or
(ii) a Sub-divisional Magistrate, or
1 Act No. 7 of 1995. Act as enactment date on 25 March 1995. Published in Gazette of India Ex-traordinary Part II Section I, dated 25 March 1995.
2 Inserted by the Cable Tekevision Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000, with effect from 1.9.2000.
3 Clause (a) relettered as clause (aa) by Act 36 of 2000 with effect from 1.9.2000.
4 Inserted by Act No. 2 of 2003, section 2 with effect from 31.12.2002.
5 Proviso omitted by the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000, with effect from 1.9.2000. Prior to its omission, proviso read as under:
‘Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to the programmes of foreign satellite chan-nels which can be received without the use of any specialised gadgets or decoder.’
6 Proviso omitted by the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000, with effect from 1.9.2000. Prior to its omission, proviso read as under:
Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to the programmes of foreign satellite chan-nels which can be received without the use of any specialised gadgets or decoder.
7 Substituted by the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000, with effect from 1.9.2000. Prior to its substitution read as under:
‘8. Compulsory transmission of two Doordarshan channels.—(1) Every cable operator using a dish antenna or Television Receive only shall, from the commencement of this Act, re-transmit at least two Doordarshan channels of his choice through the cable service.
(2) The Doordarshan channels referred to in sub-section (1) shall be re-transmitted without any deletion or alteration of any programme transmitted on such channel.’
8 Inserted by the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2002, with effect from 31.12.2002.
9 ASubstituted by the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000 with effect from 1.9.2000. Prior to its substitution, sub-section (1) read as under:
‘(1) If any officer, not below the rank of a Group `A' officer of the Central Government author-ised in this behalf by the Government (hereinafter referred to as the authorised officer), has rea-son to believe that the provisions of section 3 have been or are being contravened by any cable operator, he may seize the equipment being used by such cable operator for operating the cable television network.’
10 Inserted by the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2002, with effect from 31.12.2002.
11 Section 16 renumbered as sub-section (1) by the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2002.
12 Inserted by Act of 2003, section 5, with effect from 31.12.2002.
13 Substituted for ‘by such officer, not below the rank of a Group `A' officer of the Central Govern-ment, as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf’ by Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000, with effect from 1.9.2000.
14 Substituted for ‘an officer, not below the rank of a Group `A' officer of the Central Government authorised by the State Government in this behalf’ by Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000, with effect from 1.9.2000. ‘
15 Substituted for ‘any particular programme if it is’ by Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000, with effect from 1.9.2000. ‘
16 Inserted by Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000, with effect from 1.9.2000.
17 Inserted by Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2002, with effect from 31.12.2002.
(iii) a Commissioner of Police,
and includes any other officer notified in the Official Ga-zette, by the Central Government or the State Government, to be an authorised officer for such local limits of jurisdic-tion as may be determined by that Government;]
3 [(aa)] ’cable operator’ means any person who provides cable ser-vice through a cable television network or otherwise con-trols or is responsible for the management and operation of a cable television network;
(b) ‘cable service’ means the transmission by cables of pro-grammes including re-transmission by cables of any broad-cast television signals;
(c) ‘cable television network’ means any system consisting of a set of closed transmission paths and associated signal gen-eration, control and distribution equipment, designed to provide cable service for reception by multiple subscribers;
(d) ‘company’ means a company as defined in section 3 of the Companies Act, 1956; (1 of 1956).
(e) ‘person’ means—