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Controversy
September
16, 2002
Is
barricading of Internet telephony sites justified?
Kaushik
Phukan
NEW
DELHI -- The euphoria of legalized Internet telephony
has not even died down in the country when another controversy
has suddenly erupted. According to reports, the Indian
ISPs have blocked some of the local Internet telephony
sites. The ISPs see sense in it. However, the Internet
telephony sites are up against the act, which they term
as illegal.
For
the record, Internet telephony was illegal in India
for a long time. It was only in last April that the
government and the regulators saw the folly of it and
legalized the service.
According
to Amitabh Singhal, general secretary, Internet Service
Providers Association of India (ISPAI), local ISPs such
as Satyam, HCL, Data Access and others are blocking
Internet telephony sites such as Net4, Caltiger, etc.
Singhal
added: "The blocking of the Internet telephony
sites are purely for commercial reasons. The ISPs have
invested lots of money on the building up the infrastructure
and the networks. They also want to provide services
to their customers. The sites that are being blocked
are those that have not invested anything but still
want to use our network and infrastructure, just by
selling or reselling Internet telephony cards. By chance,
if we give them access, many illegal operators would
join them and deliver an even major blow to the revenues."
The
Forum for Open Network Enablement (FONE), a body supported
by the Internet User Community of India (IUCI), is planning
a few initiatives toward addressing this sore issue
of selective blocking of Internet telephony sites by
the ISPs. FONE plans to take up the issue with TRAI
and create a Web site where Internet users can register
their complaints on this issue.
Dr.
Arun Mehta, founder of the Society for Telecom Empowerment
(STEM) said: "The ISPs are blocking Internet telephony
sites at the router level, thus preventing all communication
with the affected companies. It violates the consumers
right to expression, information and to the cheapest
available Internet telephony service. It also violates
Article 19 of the Indian Constitution. Besides these,
those wishing to use the affected brand of Internet
telephony, or even people merely wishing to obtain information
about the concerned companies, or send an email to them
are also affected. The ISPs themselves would be adversely
affected, because this slows down the growth of the
Internet in India."
"The
adverse publicity that this issue is giving to the ISPs
might make them see reason. Otherwise, we will petition
the TRAI or the courts. At the moment, we are hoping
that the ISPs will realize their mistake, and correct
it. Otherwise, we will take appropriate steps,"
Mehta added.
However,
the ISPs beg to differ. They say that allowing everybody
to use their network for Internet telephony will eat
into their already dwindling fortunes.
Nevertheless,
what is the way out? The ISPs are optimistic that things
can be discussed and worked out. After all, nobody wants
the Internet penetration rate to slow down, and hence
affect the operators themselves. Singhal said: "We
do not have a problem opening up for everyone, provided
there is a decent revenue-sharing arrangement. Otherwise,
it does not make any commercial sense to us to let anybody
and everybody operate on an infrastructure built by
us."
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