I&B Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday gave further indication in Parliament that the government was close to mandating on conditional access systems (CAS) as a way to resolve the ongoing dispute between the cable industry and broadcasters. Swaraj's comment was made as an adjunct to a question on whether the government had received a request to set up a television regulatory body.

The government has received no request for the setting up of a television regulatory body on the lines of the Telecom Authority to regulate the subscription charged by cable operators, Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament), in a written reply.

Swaraj disclosed that there was no legal provision at present to regulate subscriptions by TV cable operators. She, however said the government was examining the feasibility of mandating CAS for pay channel viewing through cable.

Replying to another question, Swaraj said a group of six officials had been constituted by the Prasar Bharati to examine the feasibility of privatisation and joint ventures in national broadcaster Doordarshan's Metro Channel.