MUMBAI: The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) has appointed John Medeiros as vice president for government relations and regulatory affairs.

Medeiros will be responsible for oversight of the association's anti-piracy and regulatory activities across an Asia Pacific footprint covering 14 markets. He reports to Casbaa chief executive officer Simon Twiston Davies.

This new post is part of a significant expansion of the Association's campaigns to counter piracy of pay-TV broadcasts and to advocate modern regulatory practices for the broadcasting industry, states an official release.

Medeiros joins Casbaa following an extensive career with the US government, most recently as deputy chief of Mission at the US embassy in Singapore and deputy US consul general in Hong Kong. With a dozen years experience in Asia, Medeiros' responsibilities have included assisting media and telecommunications companies to overcome regulatory and anti-competitive barriers, such as piracy.

"The appointment of such an experienced executive as John Medeiros as our V-P for government relations and regulatory affairs further highlights Casbaa's commitment to representing the pay-TV industry's interests at the highest level possible. John's experience in Asia made him the best possible candidate for this new Casbaa role," said chairman Marcel Fenez.

"Given the range of underlying regulatory, market access and copyright issues faced by our member companies in jurisdictions such as Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, South Korea and India, this appointment is a significant step for the industry and the association."