As a citizen of India, I would like to voice my concern over setting up of regulatory norms for OTT players, while the internet is still in its growing phase in India and given the limited connectivity and coverage. 

India post was once a major player, eMail came in and today post is a dying business. Did we start charging for eMails just because people are using a better service?

Q.1 Is it too early to establish a regulatory framework for OTT services, since internet penetration is still evolving, access speeds are generally low and there is limited coverage of high-speed broadband in the country? Or, should some beginning be made now with a regulatory framework that could be adapted to changes in the future? Please comment with justifications.

ans: Yes, it is very early. We are yet to provide proper internet access all over the country. As i type this email, all i have is a 2G internet connection. The situation is pathetic, we are among the least average connectivity speeds.  It has to be noted that there are more pressing issues to be attended to rather than milking money by targeting users. by setting up regulations right now, we would be having a negative impact and internet penetration is going to be poorer. 

Question 2: Should the OTT players offering communication services (voice, messaging and video call services) through applications (resident either in the country or outside) be brought under the licensing regime? Please comment with justifications. 

ans: NO. why should they be? there are 100s of such players, new ones come up everyday. Internet was invented for this very reason. ISP are supposed to connect us to the internet , the service/site which WE CHOOSE. Not any other way around. It would be baseless to get in OTT players under laws, there is no reason.

Question 3: Is the growth of OTT impacting the traditional revenue stream of TSPs? If so, is the increase in data revenues of the TSPs sufficient to compensate for this impact? Please comment with reasons. 

ans: Yes, traditional revenue stream has been impacted but there has been a boom in net users, this has seen a growth like no other service. Why not compare the profits? Millions of people use internet packs these days, if not for OTT players like whatsapp no one would use the internet packs.

From the govt point of, people are using better service. eMail killed courier, what is better will survive. Gandhiji once said "Customer is the king". We should not forget that.

SO, IT MAKES NO SENSE TO TARGET USERS TO MAXIMIZE PROFITS. SMS traffic is down because OTT players offer better solutions, customer matters. 

I demand the govt. to maintain net neutrality and maintain the freedom and prevent discrimination.

Thank you,

Jay Krishna