Transcript Broadband Services - Gaps/Challenges to be addressed and actions taken by Consumer Organizations

Broadband Services
- Gaps/Challenges to be addressed
and actions taken by Consumer
Organizations
Citizen consumer and civic Action
Group (CAG), Chennai
09. 12.2013
Broadband Policy, 2004
- Aimed at enhancing the quality of life by implementation of
tele-education, tele-medicine, e-governance, entertainment and
also to generate employment through high speed access to
information and web-based communication.
-Recognized that the qualities of service parameters were of
great importance
-Aimed at providing broadband (minimum speed of 256 kbps)
to 20 million subscribers by 2010
National Telecom Policy, 2012
- To provide broadband on demand by 2015 and to achieve a
target of 175 million broadband users by 2017 and 600
million by 2020
- Broadband speed to be revised to 512 kbps and further to
2Mbps by 2015 and 100 Mbps by 2020
- Affordable and high quality broadband connectivity
throughout the nation (recognize broadband service as a
basic necessity in the fields of education and health)
- Aims at high speed broadband access to all the village
panchayats by 2014 and access to all villages and habitation by
2020
- Stimulate interest with respect to utility of broadband by
promoting regional and local content
Gaps/Challenges
• Low Access
– Broadband users -15.05 millions (wire-line subscribers)
146 millions (wireless internet users)
– Concentrated in urban areas when compared to the rural
areas, where it continues to remain low
– DoT - Under the Bharat Nirman Programme, Rural
teledensity of at least 40% by 2014, and Broadband
coverage of all 2,50,000 village panchayats by 2012 –
Information for 2011 -12 not posted in the website
– Still way behind the target fixed
Reasons for low broadband penetration in villages
• Lack of support infrastructure, high cost of service roll out and
unviable business model
• Content and applications not being in local language
• Internet primarily being used as a medium for social
networking and entertainment, while its immense potential in
enabling widespread access to education, healthcare, banking,
jobs and access to government services remains largely
untapped
• Quality & Reliability of Service
Speed
- Speed continues to remain a dicey issue
- When consumers complain of low speed or speed not being
as promised, service providers often claim that the required
speed was provided and it becomes harder for consumers
to substantiate the same (TRAI mandates that out of speed
promised, at least 80% be met)
Irregular network breakdowns
-This is another issue faced by consumers. For no reason the
connectivity goes off while in the midst of work and
consumers face great hardship as getting it restored becomes
a task by itself
Tariff & Plans
- Lack of transparency in the plan details and bills raised. Very
often, break-up of tariffs imposed not disclosed
by service providers, even when there is a
dispute
Redress
- Lack of awareness about the inbuilt redress mechanism
- More often, consumers not given the docket number
as is mandated under the TRAI Regulations
- Escalation matrix (Appellate Authority) continues to
remain an anonymity
- Rebate for delay in fault restoration, as provided in TRAI
regulations, not passed on to the consumer automatically
Consumer Education
- Lack of technical knowledge puts consumers
in a disadvantaged position
- Information provided not comprehensive and
not provided in simple language for consumers
to easily understand
Actions taken by Consumer Organizations
• Consumer activism in relation to broadband in
India has yet to make a noticeable impact
• However, Consumer Groups, from across the
country, have been trying to influence the
Regulator and the service providers, time and
again, to effect changes that would be
beneficial to the consumers
• A few interventions made by various groups include:
- Demand for a network providing seamless
coverage with special focus on rural and remote
areas
- Demand for protection of consumer interest by
promoting informed consent, transparency,
accountability and accessibility in quality of
service, tariff, usage etc.
- To recognize broadband as an ‘essential service’
- To create sufficient awareness about the inbuilt
redress mechanisms available and to
frequently publicize the same through popular
media
- Demand for quality and reliable service
- Probably it is time for consumer organizations
to join hands and raise voice together for the
benefit of consumers!
Thank You!