MUMBAI: India‘s multisystem operators (MSOs) got a dressing down yesterday from TRAI boss Rahul Khullar about the lack of KYC or CRF forms giving details about their subscribers. Khullar ordered them to get their acts together, giving a deadline of 30 June 2013 for the forms to come in, failing which they would be prosecuted.

With the proverbial Damoclean sword hanging over their heads, they have decided to fall in line.

Says DEN Networks CEO S.N. Sharma: "We are all working together, to follow the directions given by TRAI. We are already in the process of collecting customer data and are positive that we will be able to meet the 30 June deadline."

According to sources, the four MSOs got together post the TRAI meeting and have agreed to act in coordination with each other. The idea is to switch off all the set top boxes for which the MSOs don‘t have the customer details. The switch-off will be done area wise and hopefully this will force local cable operators to share the forms with MSOs. The latter have also agreed to not allow cable TV operators to switch MSOs or play one MSO against the other.

"Subscribers are bound to suffer during this exercise as they may have given the details to their operator but would have not been forwarded to the MSO. They should contact the MSOs directly to ensure that their details are registered or they can face a switch off," emphasises InCablenet MD Ravi Mansukhani.