As TRAI Firms Up Net Neutrality Rules, Telcos Want Licensing Regime For Whatsapp, Skype
TRAI Secretary Sudhir Gupta said there was a network issue from National Informatics Centre (NIC), which manages the website for most regulators and government departments, although a little-known entity claimed to have hacked into its website. The website was restored later in the evening, but continued to witness access problems.
TRAI had invited comments till April 24 on its Net Neutrality consultation paper, while ‘counter comments’ can be submitted till May 8 to the submissions made public today. An open house will be held subsequently.
When asked about privacy concerns because of TRAI making public the names and email IDs, Gupta said, “Whatever we have received, we have uploaded on the website.”
Responding to Trai’s paper, telecom operators said over the top (OTT) players like WhatsApp and Skype are the same as licenced telecom service providers except for the difference that instead of offering their services through their own networks, OTT players’ service medium is internet.
“While it is important for OTT communication service providers to be brought under a regulatory framework on an urgent basis, OTT application services providers who are merely the end users of the internet need not be brought under any licensing/regulatory regime,” Bharti Airtel said.
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