FCC signs work plan with TRAI

NEW DELHI: A delegation of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of USA

led by its Chairman, William E Kennard called on the Minister of Communications,

Ram Vilas Paswan. Minister of State for Communications, Tapan Sikdar, Chairman

of Telecom Commission, Shyamal Ghosh and other senior officials were also

present at the meeting.

The Commission also signed a 'Work Plan' outlining various key areas of

mutual cooperation with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The

work plan was signed by TRAI Chairman MS Verma and FCC Chairman William E

Kennard. The highlights of the Plan include sharing experiences relating to

regulatory, competition and interconnection issues, universal access, training

in telecom besides exchange of information in technology, convergence, new

services, etc.

Paswan outlined the procedures in India for making policy and regulatory

decisions. He said that TRAI has been recently reorganized and strengthened by

an amendment to the TRAI Act. A new body Telecom Dispute Settlement and

Appellate Tribunal has been set up with a view to provide a level-playing field

in the emerging competitive environment in the telecom sector. The Minister also

stated the current and future plans on liberalization of the telecom market in

India. In this connection, he mentioned that the basic, cellular, the Internet

and the national long distance services have been opened for private sector

participation. He said that the biggest challenge in India was increasing the

tele-density and services to rural areas. He also said that a program for

opening Internet dhabas in rural and remote areas is in full swing. Spectrum

related issues also figured in the meeting.

Kennard shared various aspects of the American experience in the regulatory

sphere. He outlined the importance of a strong and independent regulatory

authority, which is most important for the economic development of the country.