The article addresses the issue of current restrictions put by government on internet telephony and how liberalizing these restrictions would improve the broadband penetration in the country. It also talks about the futile issues raised by the telecom operators and its reasons.
TRAI has again urged the government to reconsider its August 2008 recommendations on facilitating faster growth of internet telephony. Internet telephony is dual ability to drive down tariffs and increase the much needed broadband penetration in the country. Government has to rethink over its restrictions on internet telephony particularly the one of connecting it with local numbers. The market is moving toward much optimum and efficient IP based networks that give improved voice quality but the end customers in India are still devoid of it because of restrictions.
Argument of telecom operators about the much higher fees for license compared to the ISPs is baseless since ISPs do not pay for spectrum that allows mobility while telecom operators avail mobility. Moreover, by the time internet mobility reaches the scale of voice services, the telecom operators would have moved to next generation of 3G data services. Thus, the idea of broadband penetration needs to be reformed to involve converged services through it like IPTV, mobile TV and internet telephony. This would help deliver maximum benefits to the end user through broadband penetration.
Riches to ‘rags’ story
The article talks about the recent decision by the US President Barack Obama on the salary cap of $500,000 for top level executives in the companies that have received the taxpayers’ money for bailout. Talking about the necessity of the decision, article also mentions the flipside of the decision.
It was certainly necessary for the President to put a cap on the lavish salaries and lifestyles of the top level executives after the Main Street’s anger over the Wall Street’s inefficiency. $35k commode by John Thain, ex-Merill chief, or $15k umbrella stand by Tyco boss Dennis Kozlowski, was certain to ire the common man after the companies’ abysmal performances on the account of irresponsible executives. Thus, the President had a very few options in hand, especially after knowing the fact that he would need substantially more dollars then estimated earlier, to revive the US banking system.
But the flipside here is that such cap would lead to tougher retention of best talent in the industry, something which is much needed at the time of crisis. Public sector companies know this very well. However, as author says, we cannot allow a market where profits are private and losses are public. May be a lesson can be drawn from Japan where big company executives draw three times the average pay while in US, according to Institute for Policy Studies, the ratio is 44. But not anymore; at least not with the taxpayers’ money.
The morality play
The author here draws analogy between Indian and US political system on the grounds of dealing with morality issues. The language is a mix of sarcasm and humor. The article talks about the latest heart change expressed by former UP CM Kalyan Singh over Babri issue.
Recently the US President Obama lost out another key nominee namely Tom Daschle, shortly after Nancy Killefer, because of non-payment of $140k as income tax. In US, such acts have very serious implications and public figures are required to have a clean record. But in India, it is not required as happened recently in the case of Kalyan Singh, the ex-CM of UP, who expressed his regret over the Babri demolition to appease the local minorities. But this is not new as in India, it doesn’t take much time for anyone to become secular and anyway, ‘change of heart’ is integral to our moral/political DNA. However, SP is too busy in wiping out BJP that it hasn’t really cashed on the Kalyan’s Lodh votes.
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