Longer wait for CBN Sat subscribers

The Defence Ministry is yet to clear CBN (Communiq Broadband Networks Ltd) – off the air since June 9 this year – for a media licensing facility and is unlikely to get one, Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) of Sri Lanka, Kanchana Ratwatte, told The Sunday Times FT.

So unfortunately for CBN Sat customers who are eagerly awaiting for their transmission to resume, the wait might be extensive. However, a customer service representative for CBN Satellite said a Supreme Court hearing was held on Monday, 6 November in which the company was given an option by the Court to come to an agreement with a company having a media licence.

"We have submitted an agreement to the Rupavahini Corporation," the representative said. "They are the only people who have the licence at present so we hope to be transmitting through Rupavanihi." The next court date is scheduled for December 5 and according to the representative, there is a chance of resuming their satellite transmission through Rupavahini before this. CBN's transmission was halted by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) in June after a 2-month long investigation, citing that CBN Sat didn’t have proper media licensing to carry on transmissions. The company had a valid vendor license but did not have the authority to broadcast, putting them in violation of section 17 of the Telecommunications Act No. 25 of 1991.

Lanka Broadband Networks (Pvt) Ltd, (LBN) is the other cable service provider whose transmission was severed in June 2006, also for improper licensing. A customer relations officer from LBN said the fees required by the TRC for a licence have been paid. "We will be resuming our services but we can only let our customers know after November 28 when the case will again be heard in the Court of Appeal. Transmission will probably resume from the beginning of December but we are not able to say for sure right now."

The LBN website says the company has received defence clearance and is waiting for licensing approval by the President. According to the officer, the TRC has to submit all relevant documents to the President for authorization and present it to the Courts on November 28. He added that customers won't be charged for the period that transmission was interrupted. "If they have paid in advance, their accounts will be credited."

Ratwatte said the documents have been sent to the President last week but have not been returned although he expects them to be signed and delivered any day now. However, LBN will still be required to ascertain a media licence in order to resume cable broadcasting. "The TRC is only giving a licence for a passive network so it's a vital requirement to get the media licence from the Ministry of Mass Media and Information," Ratwatte said.