Subject: Support for Net Neutrality
From: Bhooshan Harake
Date: 06-Apr-15 9:56 PM
To: advqos@trai.gov.in

I support net-netruality and transparency. I need proper broadband connection with standard data speed as per broadband specification as 512 KBps constant speed. Also I want to raise voice for, PURELY STANDARD BROADBAND CONNECTION WITHOUT ANY DATA-CAP i.e TRUELY UNLIMITED DATA PLANS FOR BOTH WIRED and WIRELESS(MOBILE) CONNECTION.

Q1. As its digital era, providers are having primary source of income is Data bcoz of people using smartphones. As said in Q, I agree to say that the primary basic laws should be applied on OTT. It may be wrong to say that penetration is low and speed is low. The reason I see is that, providers want to gain profit by enforcing users to pay more to get more data speed, the fact I observe that the providers intentionally throttle down or say add data-cap(fair-usage-policy). instead, the providers to give standard.

Q2. There should be any licensing regime. As OTT players will provide services, they will charge of services as much as they want. this is all inventional and maybe too costly to middle-class people. So Yes, the regime for services and regulation to cost, regulation to provide standard services without any hidden agenda.

Q3. It maybe imapacting on TSP, as people are tend to switch to OTT from TSP. As OTT players have their pricing, if OTT is providing better services with high data speed with low base cost. They should adapt current revenue style and evolve for better revenue with taking the customer into consideration.

Q4. Yes OTT should pay for the use of TSP network. Now this depends on TSP's policy, on what unit they want to get paid for. I would prefer for bandwidth consumpation.

Q5. Yes there is bit of imbalance exists as this is in newly evolving technology in India. There is no framework for service pricing, maintainance, and other policy on OTT. I want the framework to be transparent to the customers about their plans, policies etc. and should be in favour of customer benefit.

Q6. All the communication should be done in secure way. With regard to cyber crimes and laws, OTT should maintain required records & logs on their highly secure server. (e.g. BlackBerry Services already have set mark for security with respect to infrastructure and secure storage of user data).

Q7. Every OTT user should have a registered account to access the services by OTT (just like we access web services like gmail, facebook etc). All the user data & information should be stored high encryption algorithms on server. All communication and transfer should be done on secure protocol like HTTPS.

Q8. Yes, ENTO can have their part of earning with respect to interconnecting the nwtwork for premium service.

Q9. Currently, Providers are not fully transparent about their services and policies to the customers, hence people tend to change the service provider on usual basis, also for their high pricing for services and bad quality of service. I agree to almost all points noted in 5.47. This point should applied on current TSPs, Mobile Providers, etc., enforce them to be transparent and give best quality of service.

Q10. Providers should give standard data speed as per network specification. If I'm using Broadband connection, I should be getting data speed which is declared as per broadband standards and so on for 2G, 3G, 4G connection. I want the connection without any data-cap (fair-usage-policy). Is it too much to ask from provider?

Q11. Yes. TSP as well OTT, should publish their policies on website which directly or indirectly impact the customer. Provider should be very much transparent to customer in order to ensure regime.

Q12. As OTT or TSP is using infrastructure and network over india, both should be liable for maintainance. TSP should have long-term contract with OTT, hence both parties can trust on eachother for their infrastructure, maintainance, upgradation, so on.

Q13. TSP may allowed for discriminative services, with regard to what service is providing. TSP can use such services to attract more users for their main services. But if the service provided to customer should NOT be a short-term service or paid service (like Two Month of Service is Free and Paid after those two months)

Q14. NO. I strongly oppose this kind of differentiation. I WANT UNIFIED UNLIMITED PLANS for BOTH DATA ACCESS & OTT SERVICES. I DON'T WANT TO PAY ADDITIONAL COST FOR ACCESSING (PARTNER/PREMIUM) SERVICES. "ONE PLAN FOR ALL SERVICES." If Providers want to differentiate few services to set FREE of COST in association with their partner channel, they can.

Q15. If services provided by OTT players are averagely prices, customers will also increase rapidly. Hence OTT players should be said to be as BuTS or say partial BuTS. Framework should be defined in favor of Stakeholder, so they can get their part of profit, etc.

Q16. If any India-specific OTT apps are provided for user, the provider can be made tax-free or low-tax provider group for obvious reason. Hence if someone is becoming India-only OTT app, the provider may get benefit from OTT player, also may be a partner service provider.

Q17. Yes, OTT players can be categorized as ASP or CSP. OTT players should maintain transparency with every aspect of service with their customer.

Q18. Yes, IT is necessary to regulate the subscription pricing for OTT services. A average broadband connection currently costs around 1000 rupees for normal user, unlimited data with data-cap. So if I buy OTT service with subscription system, which can cost 2000 rupees with say 10 additional services, it's costlier and big hole in normal user. Hence it is highly necessary to regulate pricing.

Q19. Govt should also maintain a framework for Non-communication OTT players with respect to service tax, other taxes; govt should act as authority just like with main OTT players with all aspects for their services transparency.(just like a Passport authority)

Q20. I want to raise voice for, PURELY STANDARD BROADBAND CONNECTION WITHOUT ANY DATA-CAP i.e TRUELY UNLIMITED DATA PLANS FOR BOTH WIRED and WIRELESS(MOBILE) CONNECTION. Currently, the service providers have enforced their voice-plans, data-plans on customers regardless of pricing and quality of service. If I'm paying 100%, I hardly get benefit of 80% for same service. Data plans are costilier but QoS & DataSpeed is less refardless of promised data plan specification, additionally with data-cap/throttle. This has to end as soon as possible, either by enforcing the providers or by making standardization of service.

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Regards

Bhooshan Harake.
http://twitter.com/boohou
http://bhooshanb.in
+91-8408881846