Clifton Segree, ContributorTHE MANAGING director of Allied Cablevision Company Limited, Howard Webber, feels the authorities must enforce regulations in the cable television industry, in order to level the playing field for the suppliers.
Mr. Webber, together with other legal operators, argue that they had to operate under government licences, pay taxes and programming fees, while illegal operators were allowed to operate and provide competition.
On the other hand the managing director of Jamaica Amalgamated Cable System Limited (JAC), Joe DeSouza, has criticised those licensed operators who plagiarise programmes, refusing to pay programming fees. And he expressed his concern to representatives of Turner Broadcast Systems (Latin America) who was in the island recently.
JACS and Allied Cable-vision have the widest cable coverage areas and both claim they are suffering from a high level of signal theft. As a result they are putting in control measures to stem the problem.
Upgrading programme
As part of its upgrading programme Allied Cablevision has started the installation of converters or descramblers in the homes of subscribers. This will mean larger fees to be paid by the subscribers according to the number of channels beamed to each household.
Such a move has generated several complaints by subscribers to the media and the Broadcasting Commission.
What these converters (or boxes) allow is more control by the operators over the signal output. The signal is scrambled, so the subscriber needs a converter to decode it in order to get clear audio and visual signals.
With copyright pressure on the cable TV companies to pay for the programmes they carry, they will no longer be able to deliver 70 to 100 channels to subscribers for $500 per month, as was the case in the past. From now on Jamaican subscribers, as is the case in the USA, will have to order the package for which they are willing to pay.
Interactivity
According to Mr. Webber, his company will be offering a basic package of 39 channels for $600 per month. He further stated that subscribers will now be required to pay $1,900 for installation, down from $2,500 and that figure will include $600 for the converter, which will also attract a rental fee of $20 per month. Each TV set will need a converter. He said the converters, manufactured by Pioneer, cost US$100 each.
It is interesting to note that the converters will provide inter-activity with the cable TV provider. For example, a request can be made for temporary channels such as special pay-per-view programme to be downloaded to a household, while on the other hand, the provider can pull the plug on a household for non-payment of fees.
The operations of Allied Cablevision are among the best I have seen locally. The computers to control the converter system are already in place.
All subscribers to legal cable service can expect to use converters (owned or rented) now or in the near future.
