Conditional Access System

CAS or conditional access system, is a digital mode of transmitting TV

channels through a set-top box (STB). The transmission signals are
encrypted and viewers need to buy a set-top box to receive and decrypt the
signal. The STB is required to watch only pay channels.
The idea of CAS was mooted in 2001, due to a furore over charge hikes by
channels and subsequently by cable operators. Poor reception of certain
channels; arbitrary pricing and increase in prices; bundling of channels;
poor service delivery by Cable Television Operators (CTOs); monopolies in
each area; lack of regulatory framework and redress avenues were some
of the issues that were to be addressed by implementation of CAS
It was decided by the government that CAS would be first introduced in the
four metros. It has been in place in Chennai since September 2003, where
until very recently it had managed to attract very few subscribers. It has
been rolled out recently in the other three metros of Delhi, Mumbai and
Kolkata.
As of April 2008 only 25 per cent of the people have subscribed the new
technology. The rest watch only free-to-air channels. As mentioned above,
the inhibiting factor from the viewer's perspective is the cost of the STB.
The Indian TV regulatory authority has recommended that all Cable
operators be given 5 years to change from the analogue system to the
digital platform (July 2008).

Downloadable Conditional Access

System
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Downloadable Conditional Access System or DCAS is a proposal

advanced by CableLabs for secure software download of a specific
Conditional Access client (computer program) which controls digital rights
management (DRM) into a OCAP-compliant host consumer media device.
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) proposes that
DCAS be used as a substitute for physicalCableCARDs, a standard also
created by CableLabs for which products began appearing in August 2004 as
part of industry compliance to the FCC mandate, which in turn is pursuant to
the Telecommunications Act of 1996. DCAS is a controversial proposal for a
variety of reasons: it currently does not exist, has no set deadlines for support
on all cable systems, the specification even in draft form is not currently
public, may not satisfy FCC requirements that security modules be separable,
and requires an operating system (OCAP) that a majority ofconsumer
electronics (CE) manufacturers do not wish to implement.

DCAS System Diagram

DCAS, as currently envisioned, removes the need for physical set-top

boxes or CableCARDs currently required to protect encrypteddigital content. It
is proposed that instead of a card with removable circuitry, a
custom ASIC chip be soldered onto the circuitboard of any digital cable-ready
device. DCAS software would run on this custom chip. Additional circuitry
needed to run the OCAP operating system would be required. OCAP
programs then would be used as the sole method of interacting with DCAS
since it will enable cable companies to force the download of new security
software.
The basic purpose of DCAS is to implement DRM protection in software,
supported by future OCAP-compliant consumer devices such as digital
televisions, DVRs, and set-top boxes (still required to support legacy non-
OCAP-compliant devices). This secures the information transmitted in the link
between the cable company and the consumer device. Besides decryption,
the DCAS software controls how the content is used—whether it must be
deleted immediately after viewing, or after a set period of time, which devices
it may be transferred to and if transfer or recording is permitted. The scheme
may be used more broadly and is being advanced by Rupert Murdoch's
company NDS as a DRM method useful also for portable media players and
other devices not attached to cable networks. A working DCAS prototype was
created by Samsung and NDS for the cable industry and was demonstrated to
the FCC in November 2005.[1]
According to Brian Dietz of the National Cable & Telecommunications
Association (NCTA):
...we expect downloadable security to be supported nationwide by MSOs by
July 2008.
It is asserted by proponents that DCAS provides greater security for the cable
industry because it allows them to change their entire security structure by
downloading new software into host devices. If a particular encryption
algorithm is cracked, it can be replaced by another one. Detractors note that if
the physical circuitry is compromised, it may not be replaced as is the case
with CableCARDs. Some DCAS scenarios do use removable cards: OCAP-
based devices may incorporate internal support for a kind of "smart card"
(similar to the currentSIM chip in a GSM cell-phone) to identify the subscriber
and provide further protection. Proponents assert that DCAS is more
supportable since DCAS devices would not require a qualified technician to
install the card. Detractors assert that the final version of DCAS may require a
physical card insertion, and that technicians are not required to insert
CableCARDs anyway, since they are merely the same kind of cards that
consumers routinely insert in their laptops. It is asserted that if cable
companies are finally forced to agree on a standard for two-way
communication that CableCARDs will be able to be remotely configured as
would be the case with DCAS devices.
The appearance of DCAS as a possible future technology has been used as a
reason that the FCC should release cable companies from obligations
regarding CableCARDs. Verizon FiOS wishes to be released from having to
support CableCARDs at all on its network. Cable companies point to DCAS as
a reason that they should be released from their obligation to use
CableCARDs in their devices, as the FCC directed in 1998. The Consumer
Electronics Association representing major consumer electronics
manufacturers disagrees with these applications for waivers pointing to the
insubstantiality of the proposal and that cable companies are notoriously late
and half-hearted in their support of their own standards, as evidenced by their
behavior with their earlier CableCARD proposal. Detractors of DCAS point out
that the proposal is being used to sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt in the
minds of consumers, CE companies, and the FCC. Consumers are motivated
to hold off buying CableCARD devices, CE companies are wondering whether
their CableCARD technology investments will soon be obsolete, and it causes
doubt amongst FCC regulators whether they should enforce deadlines and
restrictions placed on cable companies regarding CableCARDs. Detractors
point to this as the latest in a decade-long set of delaying tactics that the cable
company has used to avoid compliance with the Telecommunications Act of
1996. Cable companies counter that CableCARD devices have failed in the
marketplace and that it would be foolish for them to be forced to use
CableCARDs when the superior technology of DCAS will soon be available.

Definition
In recent years, broadcasting and information society services (IS
services) have been making ever-increasing use of conditional access
devices. This trend is expected to gather pace as the market for these
services develops. The conditional access device (CA) provides the
user with a technical facility which allows him to determine who has
access to electronically-distributed services and under which
conditions. In order to improve the legal situation of providers of
broadcasting and IS services, the European Commission has recently
drafted and adopted a Directive on the legal protection of services
based on, or consisting of,conditional access (CAD)This Directive
introduces a common standard of legal protection
for conditional access devices. However, it focuses exclusively
on conditional access devices that serve the remuneration interest of
service providers and makes no provision for CA devices that serve
other interests. 

The traditional role of conditional access is to ensure that viewers see

only those programs that they have paid to view. In the digital
environment, conditional access has evolved far beyond this role.
Today's conditional access systems still support traditional pay TV
revenue generation. In addition they enable TV operators to create
and protect a unique gateway to the enhanced TV experience - a
world of interactive services, including home shopping, games, sports,
interactive advertising, and pay-perview programming.
Using today's conditional access systems, you can target
programming, advertisements, and promotions to subscribers by
geographic area, by market segment, or according to subscribers'
personal preferences.You can take advantage of conditional access
features to implement flexible program packaging options and support
new ways of generating revenue.

Conditional Access System (CAS) is defined as any technical

measure and/or arrangement whereby access to the protected service
in an intelligible form is made conditional upon prior individual
authorization.

The definition of conditional access indicates the two key features of

CA - the possibility:
- to exercise control over the access to a service or content which is
transmitted electronically
- to control the conditions under which access is granted.

The main conditional access techniques which are currently supported

are:
- password devices
- encryption devices.

Evaluating and filtering devices are also increasingly used in

the Internet domain, mainly to prevent undesirable material from being
delivered to minors, but also for other applications, such as the secure
delivery of professional documents. " Push technologies" in
the Internet domain could possibly also be assimilated into access
control since, on the basis of this technology, content or material is
sent only to selected receivers. In the longer term, devices based on
biometrics will also be increasingly used to
implement conditional access, particularly within the framework
of banking services or any other activity, which involves authentication
of users, certification of parties and integrity of data.

Fundamentals Of CAS
A conditional access system comprises a combination of scrambling
and encryption to prevent unauthorized reception. Encryption is the
process of protecting the secret keys that are transmitted with a
scrambled signal to enable the descrambler to work. The scrambler
key, called the control word must, of course, be sent to the receiver in
encrypted form as an entitlement control message (ECM). The CA
subsystem in the receiver will decrypt the control word only when
authorized to do so; that authority is sent to the receiver in the form of
an entitlement management message (EMM). This layered approach
is fundamental to all proprietary CA systems in use today.
Reference: http://www.seminarprojects.com/Thread-conditional-
access-system--782#ixzz1Fc3HpNko

The penetration Cable TV Business in Indian households

The Cable TV Business industry has evolved into a pyramidal structure with the broadcasters-Zee, Star, Sony at the
top. Below the broadcasters are the multiple system providers (MSOs) who receive the signals beamed to them by
the broadcasters and distribute them to their franchisees. At the retail level are the franchisees, the neighborhood
cable operators-who distribute a bouquet of free and pay channels for an all-inclusive subscription to the end
consumer.

This exponential and unregulated growth of the cable TV penetration in the Country has exposed the flaws in the
current system. Some of the major flaws run as:
# The subscribers have practically no choice in selecting their channels or choosing their cable operators. 
# The cable operators are accused under-reporting, deliberately documenting a much lower number of subscribers
than they actually. Hence there is a consequent revenue loss for the \MSOs and the broadcasters as well as the
Government.
# Inaccurate data has made the revenue sharing in a fair manner difficult. According to estimates the cable operators
reports just a fifth of their subscribers list to the MSO.

The Cable Television Networks Amendment Bill 2002

The Rajya Sabha has passed the Cable Television Networks Amendment Bill 2002. The Bill seeks to regulate cable
operations and authorized the government to mandate installation of an addressable system for accessing pay
channels-better known as Conditional Access System (CAS). The Bill had already been passed by the Lok Sabha.

# The Conditional Access System (CAS) comes into force on July 14.
# Cable operators would have to offer a minimum of 30 free-to-air television channels in the basic tier package and
charge a fee of Rs 72.
# CAS would first be rolled out in the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
# The basic tier must carry three channels of Doordarshan besides other genres such as entertainment, news, sports,
children’s programme and music.

Highlights of the Amendment:

# The Amendment seeks to regulate the operation of cable television networks in the country so as to bring
uniformity in their operations.
# The amendment empowers the Union Government to issue a notification making it obligatory for every cable
operator to show any pay channel through an addressable system only. The addressable system is mandatory only
for those subscribing to pay channels, and not for viewers opting for free-to-air channels.
# The Government will fix the maximum amount, which a cable operator may charge a subscriber for receiving free
free-to-air channels included in the basic service tier. This could vary from stet to state and city-to-city.
# The amendments makes it mandatory for every cable operator to submit to the central Government information on
the number of total subscribers, subscription rates, and the number of subscribers receiving programmers transmitted
in the basic service tier or particular programme/set of programmers transmitted on the pay channel.
The latest Delhi High Court judgment brings to the forefront the debate of voluntary or mandatory adoption of the
Conditional Access System (CAS) in India? But, before analyzing whether this technology should be mandated, it is
necessary to lay down a brief outline of the working of this system.

What Is Conditional Access System?

Conditional Access System (CAS) is a technology that enables television signals to be accessed by consumers
through an addressable system hereby allowing the consumer to choose channels that she wishes to watch and pay
for.

With the implementation of CAS, all pay channels will be routed through a set top box, which will have individual
or bouquet pricing. Free-to-air channels will be delivered as a part of the basic cable TV fee, for which no STB is
required. More than 65 FTA channels will be provided at a basic cable TV fee, which are Rs. 72 plus entertainment
taxes. With a fixed basic service charge, consumers will then have the option to choose between different cable
distribution channels, or choose between different cable distribution channels, or bouquets. The best-case scenario,
from the consumer point of view, he would be paying roughly the same amount, say Rs. 200 per month now, but
fewer channels of his choice with better service and hopefully- no blackouts.

Working of System - CAS is composed of a combination of scrambling and encryption technology that is designed
to prevent unauthorized reception. Encryption is the process of protecting the secret keys that are transmitted with a
scrambled signal that, in turn, enable the descrambler to work. The scrambler key, called the control word must, of
course, be sent to the receiver in an encrypted form as an entitlement control message (ECM). The Conditional
Access subsystem in the receiver will then decrypt the control word only when authorized to do so. The authority to
decrypt is sent to the receiver in the form of an entitlement management message or EMM.

The layered approach is fundamental to all proprietary CA systems in use today. Typically the control word is
changed at intervals of 10 seconds. The entitlement control message, sometimes also referred to as the multi-session
key, is also changed, typically at monthly intervals to avoid hackers gaining access. Thus both mechanisms assure
the continuous security of the CA system.

The Question Of Voluntary V. Mandatory Adoption Of CAS?

To analyze whether this technology should be mandated by the government or should be left open to the market
players to be voluntarily opted for, let us start with highlighting the key problems that are required addressed for the
effective implementation of the CAS.

1. Voluntary Adoption of CAS is difficult

The cable operators/ MSOs will need a set of equipment through which such television signals can be monitored for
each subscriber to account for appropriate collection from them and subsequent payments to broadcasters. The cable
operators/MSOs will also need to procure set-up boxes (STB) to be able to provide them to consumers for a defined
price. This will require large investments from the cable operators, which the small players may not be able to
afford. The consumers will need to procure a STB from their cable operator if they choose to watch pay channels
that they watch today.

2. Affordability for the Average Consumer

# The consumers will have to pay a much higher fee for receiving pay channels and its choice will be restricted to
only those channels made available by the cable network. The consumer will also not have the choice of watching
the free-to-air channel of his choice.

# The bill also proposes to "legalize" consumers being charged differently in different areas to receive the basic
service which may contain different channels as may be determined by the government.

3.Expected Consumer Response

# Consumers opting for set up boxes to access pay channels would depend on the affordability and choice factor.
Pay channels would find few-takers if majority of consumers perceive them as exorbitantly priced. The problem of
major broadcasters like Star, Zee, Sony not pricing channels individually and making them available in bouquet
form still exists.

# A subscriber wanting Zee TV only ha to pay for the entire networking bouquet consisting of ZEE English, ZEE
Cinema, ZEE MGM, etc.

II. Positives of CAS 

It is important to clear the misunderstanding that it is mandatory to purchase a set-top box with the introduction of
CAS. The customer can view all the free-to-air channels (60 channels) at Rs 72 plus taxes. However if he wishes to
watch pay channels, then he will have to install the STB which will be available for a refundable deposit of Rs 999
and rental at the rate of Re 1 per day. Also some installment schemes are being worked out by the MSOs. A STB is
even required for pay channels in DTH.

# There are many pay channels entering the foray every single day and each consumer has to pay even for all
channels that he does not view. But with CAS, the consumer can easily budget is entertaining expenses and also
view programme in the order of his preference, genre, favourites, etc. He will also have the option of value-added
services.

# The Government has the power to fix the maximum that cable operator’s can charge for viewing the free-to-air
channels in what is called a basic tier.

# CAS will put place a more accurate system of date collection, the actual viewreship and its distribution over the
different channels. This is of immense utility to the advisers, their clients as well as the telecasters.

# Broadcasters of so-called premium channels often claim huge popularity and viewership as a justification for
charging huge rates from the advertisers for their programmes. With the installation of set-up-boxes their true
viewership figures will come into the open, which would be helpful in assessing the actual popularity of pay
channels. This is important for them while negotiating rates for advertising slots.

# With CAS Consumers can hope for a better deal- Leading MSOs -- Hathway, In Cable and Siticable -- said CAS is
useful for all stakeholders, including broadcasters, cable operators and end consumers. Multi-System Operators
[MSOs] said that they are ready to roll out Conditional access system for cable broadcasting in the four metros. CAS
would also bring in addressability, solving the never ending feud between cable operators and broadcasters on
under-declaration of subscribers and provide a clear indication of numbers for pay channels chosen and viewed by
customers.

The LCOs, being the front-end dealer with the consumer, face the flak for television blackouts and are also at the
receiving end from the broadcasters. CAS will eliminate all this. CAS would also enable the cable industry to
become more organized, healthy, and uniform and hence less fragmented. Thus increasing transparency in the
distribution and exposing certain myths in the viewer ship patterns. CAS also brings in numerous technological
benefits such as capacity up to 1000 channels, MSOPS like Hathway and SCV have already rolled out CAS in
Chennai very successfully and also promoted their digital cable TV services in other markets.

III. Media Generated Myths Creating Uncertainty about CAS

The government notification issued on 15 Jan 2003 mandated use of CAS by MSOs and cable operators within six
months by 14 July 2003. This has triggered misinformation, myths and negative press stories that have the potential
to derail the process. The main myths and misinformation about CAS are:

# CAS is a crackpot scheme by the government - 90 per cent of the world cable market where it is deployed
agrees that CAS is essential and is the only solution to an organized cable industry.
# Operator’s resort to massive under- reporting- In the absence of CAS is required to curb ‘under-reporting' their
subscriber base; and broadcasters demanding payment from all homes resulting in a stand off. 
# 6.7 million Boxes will be required- The reliance should not be on exaggerated estimates rather experiences in
other countries might prove to be useful in this regard. It took other developed markets like the US and Europe over
a decade to achieve one third of this level. They did not have the problems of low purchasing power. Further there
would be no need for all homes to buy a box if the free to air/basic tier gets more attractive with many more
channels and perhaps some 'pay' channels may also become free.
# Boxes will cost Rs 7000; cheaper boxes are easily hackable- The box manufacturers out here are the same top
companies, which cater to the world market. Nearly 77 per cent of homes in leading cable markets like the US still
rely on low-cost analogue technology. It's again a myth that all analog systems are easy to pirate. Box costs vary
from Rs 2750 (analogue) to Rs 5000 (digital). 
# The subscribers’ monthly bills will not go down- Competition took average cable rates from Rs 100 to a just Rs
157 over a decade- a 57% increase when pay channel costs shot up over 500 per cent in the same period. Post CAS,
there is no reason why the pay channel rates as well as the basic tier rates will not go down too because of
competition. Thus if a channel's product and rate are not in line with competition and market realities, it will not
survive. CAS brings in a market mechanism, which did not exist earlier.
# Even broadcasters are not keen on CAS- The broadcasters will now have a system paid for by operators and
subscribers that better controls their revenues and can reduce piracy ('under reporting') by over 90 per cent.
# Nowhere in the world has CAS rolled out so quickly- Neither had many parts of the world started without
regulations and exclusive operating licenses. If cable had started like cellular phones or basic telecom, CAS would
have come in long before a government mandate. The government is on the right track and any delay will only
postpone the inevitable.

The Worst Case Scenario- When both operators and broadcasters see that there is no roll back and yet there is a
shortage of boxes, they will be forced to work together and cut deals to ensure a faster roll out. Broadcasters will
provide their signals on the free to air tier for a limited period against the operator/MSOs assurance to order more
boxes. They would then work together to meet subscription targets within a specified period after which the
channels would revert back to the pay mode. This would be a win-win situation for both of them, and would help
manage the interim shortage.

IV. The DTH Angle

The debate on CAS has overshadowed the introduction of direct to home television service. In the long run
consumers will have to make a choice between CAS and DTH. A comparative analysis of the two systems may
prove to be helpful in assessing the advantages and disadvantages of the two:

Though DTH does not require the services of the LOC’s who remain indispensable in case of CAS, however DTH is
costlier in terms of installation costs for the subscriber and companies have to pay 10% revenue share to the
government unlike CAS. Further the technology for DTH has been stipulated which would ensure the working of
DTH set-top box as before in case of shifting from one city to another unlike CAS. Instead of taking this technology
neutrality as a disadvantage of CAS, the brighter side of CAS should be seen because the government, in accordance
with the technological advancements, may always prescribe the technology for decoding and subscription
management system for CAS. This flexibility would also offer more choices to the consumer also.

Conclusion And Suggestions:

We would like to conclude this article by saying that the mandatory implementation of CAS is certainly going to
cause an initial discomfort to each of the players in the value chain and accordingly the likelihood of this system to
work voluntarily seems difficult. The fact that a couple of years have already passed since the last time CAS was
introduced, bears testimony to this reality. However, it is by no means easy to either rationalize or satisfy the
concerns of all segments. This is an inevitable task and the government’s demand to ask for more time to find a
solution for smooth transition seems justified. What remains to be seen is how within a limited time the government
deals with this complex issue in a manner, which is fair to all.

Findings and Suggestions:

# The government should decide to manufacture Set-Top-Boxes locally rather than their imports-This issue also
arose after the passing of the Cable Television Networks Amendment Bill 2002 was whether the Set Top Box (STB)
should be imported to meet the immediate demand after the mandatory implementation of CAS or they should be
manufactured locally. The Minister for consumer affairs Naren De also brought up this issue earlier in 2003. It was
urged that local manufacture of STB’s would encourage domestic manufacturers as well as generate jobs.
# Variable pricing of the channels- Channels could be priced differently across cities, as per the local demands. The
government’s decision to allow channels to opt for variable pricing had also caused some initial uneasiness among
various consumer groups. But from the legal standpoint, variable pricing is not illegal. However the same channel
should not be priced differently within a city.