The Centre for Internet and Society
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Response to TRAI Consultation Paper on Broadband Connectivity and Speed
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/response-to-trai-consultation-paper-on-broadband-connectivity-and-speed
<b>CIS comments on Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s Consultation Paper on Roadmap to Promote Broadband Connectivity and Enhanced Broadband Speed</b>
<p id="docs-internal-guid-0fc8ed5b-7fff-6775-3415-d08d4d378b68" dir="ltr">This submission presents a response by individuals working at the Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s Consultation Paper on Roadmap to Promote Broadband Connectivity and Enhanced Broadband Speed (hereinafter, the “TRAI Consultation Paper”) released on 20 August, 2020 for comments.</p>
<p dir="ltr">CIS appreciates the continual efforts of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to have consultations, and is grateful for the opportunity to put forth its views and comments.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Read the response <a class="external-link" href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/cis-trai-consultation-response-broadband">here</a>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/response-to-trai-consultation-paper-on-broadband-connectivity-and-speed'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/response-to-trai-consultation-paper-on-broadband-connectivity-and-speed</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaBroadbandTelecomTRAI2020-12-20T08:43:20ZBlog EntryHow the Telecom Act undermines personal liberties
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/indian-express-january-25-2024-how-the-telecom-act-undermines-personal-liberties
<b>In this article, Prof. Rajat Kathuria and Isha Suri analyse whether the law has enough safeguards and an independent regulatory architecture to protect the rights of citizens. The authors posit that the current version leaves the door open for an overenthusiastic enforcement machinery to suppress fundamental rights without any meaningful checks and balances. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Telecommunications Act cements government’s power to suspend internet services, does not establish independent oversight mechanism for interception, suspension orders. The article originally published in the Indian Express can be <a class="external-link" href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/how-the-telecom-act-undermines-personal-liberties-9126314/">read here</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“Is Big Brother watching you? At the press of a button a civil servant can inspect just about every detail of your life your tax, your medical record and periods of unemployment. That civil servant could be your neighbour. There is mounting concern over this powerful weapon that the computer revolution has put in the government’s hand. But no civil servant will be allowed to examine personal files from another department, without written authority from a Minister. I shall be announcing legislation enabling citizens to take action against any civil servant who gains unauthorised access to his file.” (Yes Minister). The year is 1980, the computer revolution is just about beginning and questions of surveillance have become pertinent; safeguards in the form of separation of powers between the executive and legislative are announced by the Minister for the protection of citizens.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Although theatrical, Yes Minister can yet be invoked to characterise governments in most parliamentary democracies especially India’s.<br /><br />More than four decades on, the Indian Parliament witnessed the smooth passage of several pieces of legislation, including the Telecommunications Act (TA) 2023, which justifiably seeks to bury remnants of colonial-era laws. While the modern digital age creates conditions for unprecedented surveillance reflecting the Benthamite tenet of maximum monitoring at minimum cost, the question on everyone’s minds is whether the law has enough safeguards and an independent regulatory architecture to protect the rights of citizens.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Before contemplating this weighty query, let us set the narrative in context with a quick recap of the major markers in digital governance in India that have concluded, at least for the moment, in the passing of TA 2023.<br /><br />The institutional regime for telecommunications dates back to the late 1990s and was created more by accident and less by design. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) became necessary because private sector investment came in when the public sector operator was both player and referee. Massive litigation followed, leading to the setting up of TRAI. Within a few years, the Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) was carved from TRAI to fast-track excessive litigation. In between, there was the dissolution of the first TRAI, only confirming who the “boss” was.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The desire to serve in regulatory regimes has surely been tainted by the goal of securing sinecures. This is not just an Indian phenomenon. For example, the Biden administrators wish they continue in office for long. It is in the nature of such positions that many of those appointed will never again be in a position of authority. There have been few instances after its dissolution that TRAI has taken on the government. The relationship between the legislature and the executive is complex but suffice it to say that such a separation in telecom is met much more in the breach.<br /><br />The regulatory regime for telecom described above notifies subordinate legislation, enforces and adjudicates disputes — it performs the role of the executive and the adjudicator. One key safeguard for the protection of ordinary citizens is, therefore, already undermined. The separation of powers remains on paper and the exercise of authority through delegated rule-making ensures the government can intervene with little resistance.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In this background, TA 2023 poses challenges. Although undoing colonial-era laws is one of the stated goals, the re-purposing of some existing provisions and ambiguous drafting does little justice to that aim. For example, the definition of telecommunication services has been left open to interpretation. Internet-based services like WhatsApp and Gmail are, therefore, likely to fall under the Act’s ambit. Provisions empowering the government to notify standards and conformity measures or ask for alternatives to end-to-end encryption such as client-side scanning could undermine privacy. Further requiring messages to be disclosed in an “intelligible format” is irreconcilable with end-to-end privacy engineering. Tinkering with end-to-end encryption for compliance could create potential points of vulnerability.<br /><br />The grounds on which such information may be sought, outlined in Section 20 (2) include sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the state and public order. Prima facie these appear reasonable. However, the current phrasing leaves room for expansive interpretation by overenthusiastic enforcement machinery — it could go beyond the letter of the law to please political masters. Research conducted in 2021 by Vrinda Bhandari and others found that many orders issued under the guise of public order restrictions would not qualify as legal per se. The Act cements the government’s power to suspend internet services (Section 20(2)(b)) and does not include procedural safeguards envisaged in the Supreme Court’s Anuradha Bhasin judgment such as the proportionality test, exploration of suitable alternatives and the adoption of least intrusive measures.<br /><br />The Act also does not establish an independent oversight mechanism for interception and suspension orders related to telecommunications. These rules, framed in 1996 in line with the directions of the Supreme Court in PUCL v. Union of India and requiring a committee consisting exclusively of senior government officials, reflect inadequate separation. In the UK the law mandates approval of interception warrants by judicial commissioners. Separation of powers is however not a panacea; it is just a necessary condition for the effective functioning of institutions. We must also observe the counsel of John Stuart Mill for the maintenance of institutional integrity namely, not “to lay [their] liberties at the feet of even a great man, or to trust him with powers which enable him to subvert [their] institutions” — JS Mill, quoted by BR Ambedkar on November 25 1949, requoted by sitting Chief Justice of India on Constitution Day (November 26, 2018).</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify; ">Kathuria is Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of Economics at the Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence and Suri is Research Lead, CIS.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/indian-express-january-25-2024-how-the-telecom-act-undermines-personal-liberties'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/indian-express-january-25-2024-how-the-telecom-act-undermines-personal-liberties</a>
</p>
No publisherRajat Kathuria and Isha SuriTelecom2024-02-20T00:54:29ZBlog EntryTelecom Path-Breaker?
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/telecom-path-breaker
<b>Does the draft National Telecom Policy-2011 reflect true brilliance or smoke-and-mirrors? It will be a game-changer if a shared network is implemented effectively, writes Shyam Ponappa in this article published in the Business Standard on November 3, 2011.</b>
<p>There’s much to criticise the government about for not initiating systematic reforms. Yet, the draft National Telecom Policy 2011 (NTP-2011), announced three weeks ago, is a stunner.<a name="fr1" href="#fn1">[1] </a>It begins with a solid, integrated-systems preamble to IT, Communications and Electronics, followed by an excellent vision statement: “[to provide] secure, reliable, affordable and high quality... telecommunication services anytime, anywhere.” A sound beginning, although open-ended in terms of how the details could evolve.</p>
<p>There are potential problems with such high-level pronouncements, of course. A number of commentators castigate the motherhoods in the draft. With a lofty perspective and few details, much depends on how the open-ended possibilities develop, including the difficulties of execution in dealing with ground realities and obstacles.</p>
<h3>An Assessment</h3>
<p>NTP-2011 addresses six major areas: spectrum, licensing, broadband, convergence, roaming, and manufacturing. Focusing on the first two, there are sweeping proposals:</p>
<ul><li>licences will not be linked to spectrum; and</li><li>spectrum sharing will be permitted.</li></ul>
<p>Some view the separation of licences and spectrum as retrograde, because spectrum is essential for service delivery. Others suggest that transgressions that led to the scams are now being inducted as new policies, e.g., operators accessing networks they do not own, which is characterised as being against the public interest. Some heap opprobrium, alleging that like the previous policy, NTP-99, which they call retrograde (although it led to the phenomenal growth in mobile telephony), its main purpose is to allow companies to avoid paying licence/auction fees to the government.</p>
<ul><li>The last expostulation is the most ludicrous, because revenue collections after NTP-99 far exceeded estimated fees foregone: Rs 20,000 crore estimated “loss” by March 2007, but Rs 40,000 crore actually collected, and Rs 80,000 crore collected by March 2010.<a name="fr2" href="#fn2">[2]</a>Add tax collections on exponential growth with increased profits, and the result is even higher total government revenues.<br /></li><li>Opposing operator access to networks arises from confused objectives; blocking access is like cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face. The purpose of the sector is to provide services and access to users for legitimate activities. The public interest lies in facilitating access on appropriate terms.</li><li>To evaluate licensing and spectrum, begin with the premise of shared spectrum. Spectrum is essential for effective service provision, particularly in the rural and semi-urban areas with about 70 per cent of the population. An aspect not commonly known is that larger bands of spectrum enable more efficient throughput. For example, 1 MHz of a 12 MHz band carries 50 per cent more traffic than 1 MHz of a 6 MHz band. An estimate of the benefit to Indian operators of more bandwidth at international norms is a reduction of 20 per cent in operating costs.</li></ul>
<h3>Spectrum Occupancy</h3>
<p>In practice, assigned spectrum is idle much of the time, except during the busy hours in India’s heavy-traffic metros, for extraneous reasons: too many operators, with too little spectrum, in too- narrow bands. This aspect becomes clear from spectrum utilisation or occupancy studies. For instance, the chart shows spectrum occupancy in Bangalore, Edinburgh and Stony Brook (New York) sometime in 2011.</p>
<p>The low readings (250 to 850 MHz in Bangalore, 600 to 950 MHz in Edinburgh, and 500 to 850 MHz in Stony Brook, NY) indicate available “white spaces” that can be better utilised.</p>
<ul><li>High-traffic cities like Delhi and Mumbai have much higher utilisation than cities elsewhere in the world. It comes at increased costs to operators, because of advanced equipment and the closer spacing of towers, as well as having negative environmental effects. If a system with on-demand access to centralised, more efficient spectrum bandwidth were available, the capacity would be much higher, while operators would gain tremendous savings.</li></ul>
<ul><li>Another aspect has to do with the structuring and pricing of shared spectrum. One scenario for sharing is to enable operators to share assigned bands on mutually acceptable terms, leaving the onus of structuring and deployment on the respective operators, as for mobile telephony towers. As with the towers, there are likely to be coalitions of operators/independent entities who are able to work out arrangements among themselves, while not attaining the ultimate efficiency of unified coordination. For instance, participants who share towers in India share passive but not active infrastructure, and a critical element of active infrastructure is spectrum.</li></ul>
<ul><li>An alternative scenario would be mandated spectrum sharing. Spectrum on demand could be made available to any operator/counterparties for the duration of every communication “transaction”. This would need a database-driven Dynamic Spectrum Assignment facility, as deployed by Spectrum Bridge in the US. The more efficient throughput would mean higher traffic capacity for a given investment through better utilisation.</li></ul>
<ul><li>The distributed processing alternative through cognitive radio in every user device is (a) much less efficient, and (b) far more expensive. The market consolidation-through-acquisition approach, with more auctions, is the least efficient and most expensive.</li></ul>
<h3>Common-Access Networks</h3>
<p>There would be further efficiencies if the entire network (and not just the spectrum) were accessed on-demand for payment per use. Another benefit from a public perspective would be much lower collective investment in resources, because of better utilisation. A third benefit would be the reduced environmental impact because of a lower carbon footprint and radiation from two or three common-access national networks (assuming competition is essential for effectiveness and efficiency).</p>
<p>In other words, database-driven, shared spectrum and networks have to be organised and managed as a coordinated unit if the potential benefits are to be realised. America is doing this with TV white spaces/the digital dividend, through the appointment of 10 database administrators (including Spectrum Bridge, Google and Microsoft). This should elicit our interest.</p>
<p>Once the government and stakeholders accept these concepts, the next major task is structuring the networks as consortiums to align the interests of operators and network providers, with state-of-the-art lead partners. In this process, incorporating and reorienting BSNL and MTNL as guardians of national interests with oversight by an adequately empowered regulator will be the remaining major tasks.</p>
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<p>[<a name="fn1" href="#fr1">1</a>].<a class="external-link" href="http://www.dot.gov.in/NTP-2011/NTP2011.htm">http://www.dot.gov.in/NTP-2011/NTP2011.htm</a></p>
<p>[<a name="fn2" href="#fr2">2</a>].TRAI, 2005: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.trai.gov.in/trai/upload/StudyPapers/2/ir30june.pdf">http://www.trai.gov.in/trai/upload/StudyPapers/2/ir30june.pdf</a><br /> CAG: <a class="external-link" href="http://cag.gov.in/html/reports/civil/2010-11_19PA/Telecommunication%20Report.pdf">http://cag.gov.in/html/reports/civil/2010-11_19PA/Telecommunication%20Report.pdf</a></p>
<p><strong>Shyam's article was originally published in the Business Standard</strong>. It can be read <a class="external-link" href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.com/2011/11/telecom-path-breaker.html">here</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/telecom-path-breaker'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/telecom-path-breaker</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2011-11-18T05:42:00ZBlog Entry22 nieuwe leden voor Partnership on AI
http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/telecom-paper-may-17-2017-22-nieuwe-leden-voor-partnership-on-ai
<b>Partnership on AI, een non-profit organisatie ter bevordering van het algemeen begrip van kunstmatige intelligentie en de ontwikkeling van best practices, heeft 22 nieuwe leden aangekondigd.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The news was <a class="external-link" href="https://www.telecompaper.com/nieuws/22-nieuwe-leden-voor-partnership-on-ai--1196287">published by Telecom Paper</a> on May 17, 2017.</p>
<hr style="text-align: justify; " />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Tot de nieuwe leden behoren eBay, Intel, McKinsey & Company, Salesforce, SAP, Sony, Zalando, Cogitai, Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, AI Forum of New Zealand, Center for Democracy & Technology, Centre for Internet and Society – India, Data & Society Research Institute, Digital Asia Hub, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Future of Humanity Institute, Future of Privacy Forum, Human Rights Watch, Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, UNICEF, Upturn, en de XPRIZE Foundation. Partnership on AI werd vorig jaar september opgericht. Tot de oprichters behoren onder meer Amazon, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft, Google DeepMind en Apple.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/telecom-paper-may-17-2017-22-nieuwe-leden-voor-partnership-on-ai'>http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/telecom-paper-may-17-2017-22-nieuwe-leden-voor-partnership-on-ai</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaTelecomInternet Governance2017-05-19T06:54:20ZNews ItemMay 2013 Bulletin
http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/may-2013-bulletin
<b>The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) welcomes you to the fifth issue of its newsletter for 2013. We bring you an overview of our research, report of events held by us and announcement of upcoming ones, events we participated in, and recent media coverage.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/celebrating-5-years-of-cis">Celebrating 5 Years of CIS</a></b><br />CIS is now 5 years old and we just celebrated this by holding an open exhibition in our offices in Bangalore and Delhi from May 20 to 23, showcasing our work and accomplishments over the period. We had about 170 visitors from the general public coming in to our office. Renowned artists like Tara Kelton, Kiran Subbaiah, Navin Thomas, Abhishek Hazra and Sharath Chandra Ram exhibited their work. The four day event attracted press coverage: <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/bangalore-mirror-vandana-kamath-may-18-2013-ngo-invites-public-to-peruse-its-accounts">Bangalore Mirror</a> (May 18, 2013), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/dna-india-may-19-2013-subir-ghosh-a-lifetime-of-five-years-on-the-internet">DNA</a> (May 19, 2013), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-may-22-2013-cis-highlights-changes-ushered-in-by-the-internet">Hindu</a> (May 22, 2013), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/prajavani-may-24-2013-report-on-pavanaja-talk-at-cis">Prajavani</a> (May 23, 2013), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/udayavani-may-25-2013-report-on-cis-5-years-celebration">Udayavani</a> (May 25, 2013) and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/bangalore-mirror-vandana-kamath-may-31-2013-shooting-cyber-cafes-before-they-die">Bangalore Mirror</a> (May 31, 2013). <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-5-years-all-posters.zip">Download all posters that were part of the exhibition here</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/google-policy-fellowship-call-for-applications-2013"><b>Google Policy Fellowship</b></a><br />CIS is inviting applications for the Google Policy Fellowship programme. Google is providing a USD 7,500 stipend to the India fellow who will be selected by July 1, 2013. The Fellowship focus areas include Access to Knowledge, Openness in India, Freedom of Expression, Privacy, and Telecom. Send in your applications for the position by June 15, 2013.</p>
<p><b>Jobs</b><br /> CIS invites applications for the posts of <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/vacancy-for-developer">Developer</a> (NVDA Screen Reader Project), and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/programme-officer-internet-governance">Programme Officer</a> (Internet Governance). To apply send your resume to <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> and <a href="mailto:pranesh@cis-india.org">pranesh@cis-india.org</a>.</p>
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility">Accessibility</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is doing two projects in partnership with the <b>Hans Foundation</b>. One is to create a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India and another for developing a screen reader and text-to- speech synthesizer for Indian languages. CIS is also working with the World Blind Union and other similar organisations to develop a Treaty for the Visually Impaired helped by the WIPO:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>National Resource Kit for Persons with Disabilities<br /></b>Anandhi Viswanathan from CIS and Manojna Yeluri from the Centre for Law and Policy Research are working in this project. Draft chapters have been published. Feedback and comments are invited from readers for the chapters on Sikkim and Odisha:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-sikkim-chapter-call-for-comments">The Sikkim Chapter</a> (by Manojna Yeluri, May 30, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-odisha-call-for-comments">The Odisha Chapter</a> (by Anandhi Viswanathan, May 31, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p>Note: <i>All of these are early drafts and will be reviewed and updated</i>.</p>
<p><b>Banking Accessibility</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/survey-on-banking-accessibility">Survey on Banking Accessibility</a> (by Vrinda Maheshwari, May 30, 2013). G3ict is a survey on accessibility of financial services in banks for persons with disabilities around the world. The survey is available <a href="http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1187917/Survey-on-Banking-Accessibility">here</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Organised</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/global-accessibility-awareness-day-event">Global Accessibility Awareness Day</a> (May 9, 2013, TERI, Southern Regional Centre, Domlur, Bangalore).</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/a2k">Access to Knowledge</a> and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness">Openness</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop the growth of Indic language communities and projects by community collaborations and partnerships. This is being carried out by the Access to Knowledge team based in Delhi. CIS is also doing a project (Pervasive Technologies) on examining the relationship between production of pervasive technologies and intellectual property. CIS also promotes openness including open government data, open standards, open access, and free/libre/open source software through its Openness programme.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Access to Knowledge (Wikipedia)</b><br />Beginning from September 1, 2012, Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two-year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop free knowledge in India. The <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Access_To_Knowledge/Team" title="Access To Knowledge/Team">A2K team</a> consists of three members based in Bangalore: <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">T. Vishnu Vardhan</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">Dr. U.B. Pavanaja</a> and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Subhashish Panigrahi</a> and one team member <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Nitika Tandon</a> who is working from Delhi office. <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Noopur Raval</a>, Programme Officer has left the organisation. April 24, 2013 was her last working day.</p>
<p><b>Announcements</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/resources/access-to-knowledge-work-plan">Access to Knowledge Work Plan</a> (April 2013 - June 2014): CIS has announced its detailed plan detailed plan with projection of outcomes and expected impact of the A2K programme activities. The document has been made in consultation with various stakeholders and keeping in mind the objectives, opportunities and challenges faced by each of the Indian language Wikimedia projects. Feel free to share any feedback.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">WMF-A2K Revised Budget (draft) and Utilization (Sept 2012 - Feb 2013): In our effort to increase transparency with the working of CIS-A2K programme, we are <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WMF-A2K_Grant_Budget_and_Utilization_Sept12_-Feb13.pdf">sharing</a> with you the A2K Programme Budget along with the Utilization for the period Sept. 2012 to February 2013. The proposed revisions to the budget along with some notes are <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WMF-A2K_Revised_Budget_%28draft%29_and_Utilization_Sept_12-Feb_13.pdf">here</a>.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WMF-A2K_Grant_Budget_and_Utilization_Sept12_-Feb13.pdf">WMF-A2K Grant Budget and Utilization</a> (Sept 2012 – February 2013): CIS has given an open disclosure of the Access to Knowledge budget to Wikimedia India and the global community.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/cis-signs-mou-with-tiss">CIS Signs MOU with TISS, Mumbai</a>: has signed a MoU with TISS as part of which we will collaboratively work towards building Digital Knowledge Partnerships with select higher education institutions.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">India Access to Knowledge IRC can be accessed here: <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/India_Access_To_Knowledge/IRC/13th_May">May 13, 2013</a> (All Language Discussion) and <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/India_Access_To_Knowledge/IRC/26th_May">May 26, 2013</a> (Odia Language Discussion). </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entries</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/odia-wikipedia-needs-assessment">Odia Wikipedia: Needs Assessment</a> (by Subhashish Panigrahi, May 11, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/access-to-knowledge-work-plan-synopsis-of-feedback-by-wikipedians">Access to Knowledge Work Plan: Synopsis of Feedback by Wikipedians</a> (by Nitika Tandon, May 20, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/wikipedia-introductory-session">Wikipedia Introductory Session organized for Data and India portal consultants</a> (by Subhashish Panigrahi, May 30, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/kannada-wikipedia-workshop-udupi-april-29-2013">Kannada Wikipedia Workshop</a> (April 29, 2013, Govinda Pai Research Centre, MGM College Udupi). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja led the workshop and gave a talk on Kannada Wikipedia</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/kannada-irc-meet-may-7-2013">Kannada IRC Meet</a> (organised by the Wikipedia Community, May 7, 2013). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja participated in this.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Event</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/digital-humanities-for-indian-higher-education">Digital Humanities for Indian Higher Education</a> (co-organised in collaboration with HEIRA-CSCS, Tumkur University, CILHE-TISS and CCS (IISc), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, July 13, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Press Coverage</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/prajavani-may-24-2013-report-on-cis-celebrates-5-years">CIS Celebrates 5 Years: A Report in Prajavani</a> (Prajavani, May 23, 2013). Prajavani published a report of Dr. U.B. Pavanja’s talk “From Palm Leaf to Tablet – Journey of Kannada”.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/udayavani-may-25-2013-cis-celebrates-5-years">CIS Celebrates 5 Years: A Report in Udayavani</a> (Udayavani, May 25, 2013). Udayavani published a report of the evening programme hosted as part of the Centre for Internet and Society's 5 year celebrations in its Bangalore edition.</li>
</ul>
<p><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Access to Knowledge (Previously IP Reforms)</span><br />Blog Entry</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/blog/unfortunate-rise-of-india-slapp-suit">On the Unfortunate Rise of the Indian SLAPP Suit</a> (by Ujwala Uppaluri, May 27, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Openness</b></span><br /><b>Research Papers</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/current-science-vol-101-10-1287-s-gunasekharan-s-arunachalam-use-of-open-access-journals-by-indian-researchers">Use of Open Access Journals by Indian Researchers</a> (by Subbiah Gunasekharan and Prof. Subbiah Arunachalam, May 27, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/use-made-of-open-access-journals-by-indian-researchers-to-publish-their-findings">Use made of Open Access Journals by Indian Researchers to Publish their Findings</a> (by Madhan Muthu and Prof. Subbiah Arunachalam, May 28, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Comments</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/comments-on-draft-icar-open-access-policy">Draft ICAR Open Access Policy</a> (by Nehaa Chaudhari, May 28, 2013). The comments were submitted to the Indian Council for Agricultural Research.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Hosted</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/rhok-bangalore-2013">RHoK Global Event</a> (Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, June 1 – 2, 2013). A report of the event would be published soon.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/internet-governance">Internet Governance</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Internet Governance programme conducts research around the various social, technical, and political underpinnings of global and national Internet governance, and includes online privacy, freedom of speech, and Internet governance mechanisms and processes. We began two new projects earlier this year. The first one, with Privacy International, London to facilitate research and events around surveillance, and freedom of speech and expression and the second one with Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto on mapping of cyber security actors in South Asia and South East Asia:</p>
<p><b>Cyber Stewards Project</b><br />Laird Brown, a strategic planner and writer with core competencies on brand analysis, public relations and resource management and Purba Sarkar who in the past worked as a strategic advisor in the field of SAP Retail are working in this project.</p>
<p><b>Video Interview</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-1-christopher-soghoian">An Interview with Christopher Soghoian</a> (May 28, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Event</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/geo-politics-of-information-controls">The Geopolitics of Information Controls: A Presentation by Masashi Crete-Nishihata</a> (TERI, Bangalore, June 19, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Privacy</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comparative-analysis-of-dna-profiling-legislations-across-the-world">Comparative Analysis of DNA Profiling Legislations from Across the World</a> (by Srinivas Atreya, May 23, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Co-organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/report-on-the-third-privacy-round-table-meeting">3rd Privacy Round Table meeting</a> (co-organised with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Data Security Council of India, Chennai, May 18, 2013). Maria Xynou participated in this event and gives an overview of the discussions and recommendations.</li>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/consilience-2013-law-technology-committee-nls-bangalore">Consilience – 2013</a> (co-organised with the Law and Technology Committee of National Law School of India University, Bangalore, May 25, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/towards-a-global-network-of-internet-and-society-cultures">ICT, Law and Innovation: Recent Developments, Challenges and Lessons Learned</a> (organised by Bilgi University, Istanbul, May 2013). Chinmayi Arun was a speaker on the Internet Governance panel at Towards a Global Network of Internet and Society Centres.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">India’s Politics of Free Expression (co-sponsored by the Asian Studies Centre, Free Speech Debate, the Oxford India Society and Ideas for India Oxbridge Exchange, May 31, 2013 at Nissan Lecture Theatre, St. Antony’s College, Oxford). Chinmayi Arun was a speaker at the <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/sant-ox-ac-uk-may-31-2013-bapsybanoo-marchioness-winchester-lectures">Bapsybanoo Marchioness of Winchester Lectures</a> on 'India's Politics of Free Expression'.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Event</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/privacy-round-table-mumbai">Privacy Round Table, Mumbai</a> (Mayfair Banquets, Mumbai, June 15, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entry</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-surveillance-industry-in-india-at-least-76-companies-aiding-our-watchers">The Surveillance Industry in India: At Least 76 Companies Aiding Our Watchers!</a> (by Maria Xynou, May 2, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Media Coverage</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/mumbai-mirror-anand-holla-may-4-2013-sex-on-the-go">Sex on-the-go</a> (by Anand Holla, Mumbai Mirror, May 4, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-business-line-may-5-2013-cis-anniversary">CIS anniversary</a> (Hindu Business Line, May 5, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-indu-nandakumar-may-7-2013-cms-to-make-govt-privy-to-phone-calls-text-messages-and-social-media-conversations">Central Monitoring System to make government privy to phone calls, text messages and social media conversations</a> (by Indu Nandakumar, May 7, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/quartz-may-8-2013-leo-mirani-messaging-apps-find-another-foe-in-indias-market-regulator">Messaging apps find another foe in India’s market regulator</a> (Quartz, May 8, 2013). Elonnai Hickok is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/tech-2-may-9-2013-indias-rs-400-crore-central-monitoring-system-to-snoop-on-all-communication">India's Rs 400-crore Central Monitoring System to snoop on all communication</a> (Tech 2, May 9, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/global-post-talia-ralph-jason-overdorf-may-9-2013-is-indias-govt-becoming-big-brother">Is India's government becoming Big Brother?</a> (by Talia Ralph and Jason Overdorf, May 9, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-telegraph-op-ed-may-15-2013-world-wide-playground">Worldwide Playground</a> (Telegraph, May 15, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/bangalore-mirror-vandana-kamath-may-18-2013-ngo-invites-public-to-peruse-its-accounts">NGO invites public to peruse its accounts</a> (by Vandana Kamath, May 18, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/livemint-anirban-sen-may-19-2013-online-privacy-should-not-come-at-the-cost-of-security">Online privacy should not come at the cost of security: Sunil Abraham</a> (by Anirban Sen, May 19, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/dna-india-may-19-2013-subir-ghosh-a-lifetime-of-five-years-on-the-internet">A lifetime of five years on the internet</a> (by Subir Ghosh, DNA, May 19, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-may-22-2013-cis-highlights-changes-ushered-in-by-the-internet">CIS highlights changes ushered in by the Internet</a> (Hindu, May 22, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/asian-correspondent-chan-myae-khine-may-22-2013-burma-to-host-internet-freedom-forum">Burma to host first Internet freedom forum</a> (by Chan Myae Khine, Asian Correspondent, May 22, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/businesswire-may-30-2013-inet-bangkok-to-explore-internet-impact-on-thailand-economy-and-society">INET Bangkok to Explore Internet’s Impact on Thailand’s Economy and Society</a> (BusinessWire, May 30, 2013). Sunil Abraham is participating in this conference. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/bangalore-mirror-vandana-kamath-may-31-2013-shooting-cyber-cafes-before-they-die">Shooting cyber cafes before they die</a> (by Bangalore Mirror, May 31, 2013). CIS’s film on Cyber Cafes is mentioned in this article.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span class="visualHighlight"><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access">Knowledge Repository on Internet Access</a></span><br />CIS in partnership with the Ford Foundation is executing a project on Internet Access. It covers the history of the internet, technologies involved, principle and values of internet access, broadband market and universal access and will touch upon various polices and regulations which has an impact on internet access and bodies and mechanism which are responsible for formulation policies related to internet access. The blog posts and modules will be published in a new website: <a href="http://www.internet-institute.in">www.internet-institute.in</a>.</p>
<p><b>Ongoing Event</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/institute-on-internet-and-society">Institute on Internet and Society</a> (supported by Ford Foundation, Golden Palms Resort, Bangalore, June 8 – 14, 2013). The <a href="http://internet-institute.in/repository/agenda-revised-by-sv">agenda</a> for the event has been finalised.</li>
</ul>
<p>The following unit was published recently:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/network-connections-modes-of-access">Network Connections and Modes of Access</a> (by Srividya Vaidyanathan, May 30, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/telecom">Telecom</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is involved in promoting access and accessibility of telecommunications services and resources and has provided inputs to ongoing policy discussions and consultation papers published by TRAI. It has prepared reports on unlicensed spectrum and accessibility of mobile phones for persons with disabilities and also works with the USOF to include funding projects for persons with disabilities in its mandate:</p>
<p><b>Newspaper Column</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-may-9-2013-shyam-ponappa-configuring-a-non-toothless-trai">Configuring a 'Non-Toothless' Regulator</a> (TRAI) (by Shyam Ponappa, Business Standard, May 9, 2013 and Organizing India Blogspot, May 10, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/">About CIS</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Centre for Internet and Society is a non-profit research organization that works on policy issues relating to freedom of expression, privacy, accessibility for persons with disabilities, access to knowledge and IPR reform, and openness (including open government, FOSS, open standards, etc.), and engages in academic research on digital natives and digital humanities.<br /> <b>Follow us elsewhere</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Get short, timely messages from us on <a href="https://twitter.com/cis_india">Twitter</a></li>
<li>Join the CIS group on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/28535315687/">Facebook</a></li>
<li>Visit us at <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/">http://cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>Support Us</b><br />Please help us defend consumer / citizen rights on the Internet! Write a cheque in favour of ‘The Centre for Internet and Society’ and mail it to us at No. 194, 2nd ‘C’ Cross, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru – 5600 71.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Request for Collaboration</b><br />We invite researchers, practitioners, and theoreticians, both organisationally and as individuals, to collaboratively engage with Internet and society and improve our understanding of this new field. To discuss the research collaborations, write to Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, at <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> or Nishant Shah, Director – Research, at <a href="mailto:nishant@cis-india.org">nishant@cis-india.org</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>CIS is grateful to its donors, Wikimedia Foundation, Ford Foundation, Privacy International, UK, Hans Foundation and the Kusuma Trust which was founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, philanthropists of Indian origin, for its core funding and support for most of its projects.</i></p>
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</ul>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/may-2013-bulletin'>http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/may-2013-bulletin</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceOpennessResearchers at Work2013-08-13T11:51:46ZPageTRAI
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/TRAI%20consultation.jpg
<b></b>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/TRAI%20consultation.jpg'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/TRAI%20consultation.jpg</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaTelecom2009-11-23T08:51:35ZFileTRAI - consultation Q 1- 57
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/TRAI%20CP-Q%201-57-Nov%2012%202009.pdf
<b></b>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/TRAI%20CP-Q%201-57-Nov%2012%202009.pdf'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/TRAI%20CP-Q%201-57-Nov%2012%202009.pdf</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaTelecom2009-11-23T08:53:00ZFileTRAI response
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/TRAI%20CP%20Response-Nov%2012%202009.pdf
<b></b>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/TRAI%20CP%20Response-Nov%2012%202009.pdf'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/TRAI%20CP%20Response-Nov%2012%202009.pdf</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaTelecomPublications2011-08-23T03:32:08ZFileSagie Chetty- Report
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/SC%20Study%20Tour%20Report%202009-11-08%20_2_.pdf
<b></b>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/SC%20Study%20Tour%20Report%202009-11-08%20_2_.pdf'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/publications/SC%20Study%20Tour%20Report%202009-11-08%20_2_.pdf</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaTelecomPublications2011-08-23T03:30:41ZFileMarch 2013 Bulletin
http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/march-2013-bulletin
<b>The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) welcomes you to the third issue of its newsletter for the year 2013. In this issue we bring you an overview of our research programs, updates of events organised by us, events we participated in, news and media coverage, and videos of some of our recent events.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Jobs</b><br />CIS invites applications for the posts of <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/vacancy-for-developer">Developer</a> (NVDA Screen Reader Project), <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/programme-officer-access-to-knowledge-and-openness">Programme Officer</a> (Access to Knowledge and Openness), and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/jobs/programme-officer-internet-governance">Programme Officer</a> (Internet Governance). To apply send your resume to <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> and <a href="mailto:pranesh@cis-india.org">pranesh@cis-india.org</a>.</p>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility">Accessibility</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is doing two projects in partnership with the <b>Hans Foundation</b>. One of this is to create a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India and another is for developing a screen reader and text-to- speech synthesizer for Indian languages. CIS is also working with the World Blind Union and many other organisations to develop a Treaty for the Visually Impaired helped by the WIPO:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>National Resource Kit for Persons with Disabilities</b><br />Anandhi Viswanathan from CIS and Manojna Yeluri from the Centre for Law and Policy Research are working in this project. Draft chapters have been published. Feedback and comments are invited from readers for the chapters on Lakshadweep, Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-lakshadweep-chapter-call-for-comments">The Lakshadweep Chapter</a> (by Anandhi Viswanathan, March 25, 2013): The union territory of Lakshadweep has not passed any legislation for persons with disabilities, but implements the provisions under the central laws. The benefits currently available to persons with disabilities in Lakshadweep include disability pension, unemployment allowance and grant for setting up kiosks.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-the-meghalaya-chapter-call-for-comments">The Meghalaya Chapter</a> (by Manojna Yeluri, March 25, 2013): Meghalaya is one of the few north-eastern states, which has appointed a Commissioner for Disabilities. Most of the schemes and benefits given to persons with disabilities in Meghalaya are under centrally sponsored schemes. Very few schemes are initiated by the state government. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-uttar-pradesh-chapter-call-for-comments">The Uttar Pradesh Chapter</a> (by Manojna Yeluri, March 31, 2013): The Government of Uttar Pradesh has established shelter homes and vocational training centres in several parts of the states — most recently in Meerut, Bareilly and Gorakhpur. It has also undertaken to finance nearly 4340 corrective surgeries for polio across nine cities of Uttar Pradesh. It also intends to start several projects in 2013. These include the establishment of a Braille Press in order to produce Braille books, magazines and other study material.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Resources<br /></b>We now have a new section on our website which contains all government notifications, RTI applications, and accessibility related resources: cases, statutes, etc. The following were published earlier this month:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/information-about-schemes-for-disabled-haryana">Information about Schemes for Disabled Persons in Haryana</a> We received this notification on schemes and policies for persons with disabilities from the Government of Haryana.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/haryana-notification">Haryana Government Notification</a> (Hindi version): The notification that we received from the state government was in Hindi. We will put up the English translation soon.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/west-bengal-govt-notifications">West Bengal (Govt) Notifications</a>: We received a series of notifications from the West Bengal Government from its various departments such as finance, higher education, transport, health and family welfare, labour, land and land reforms, panchayats and rural development, etc. <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/west-bengal-notifications.zip">OCR versions</a> of the same have been published.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/lakshadweep-govt-notifications">Lakshadweep (Govt) Notifications</a>: Notifications received from the Lakshadweep Government including guidelines for functioning of KIOSKS, grant of unemployment allowance and special jobs to persons with disabilities, issuing identity card to persons with disabilities for availing government benefits, etc., are published. <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/lakshadweep-ocr-notifications">OCR versions</a> have also been put up.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated In</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/discussion-on-intercept-between-uncrpd-and-cedaw">A Discussion on Intercept between UNCRPD & CEDAW</a> (organized by the Shanta Memorial Institute of Rehabilitation – Odisha, CBR Network and Mitra Jyoti, Bangalore, Karnataka, February 4, 2013): Anandhi Viswanathan participated in this event. </li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/a2k">Access to Knowledge</a> and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness">Openness</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop the growth of Indic language communities and projects by community collaborations and partnerships. This is being carried out by the Access to Knowledge team based in Delhi. CIS is also doing a project (Pervasive Technologies) on examining the relationship between production of pervasive technologies and intellectual property. CIS also promotes openness including open government data, open standards, open access, and free/libre/open source software through its Openness programme.</p>
<h3><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan"><b>Wikipedia</b></a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Beginning from September 1, 2012, Wikimedia Foundation <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">awarded</a> CIS a two-year grant of INR 26,000,000 to support and develop free knowledge in India. The <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Access_To_Knowledge/Team" title="Access To Knowledge/Team">A2K team</a> consists of four members based in Delhi: <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">T. Vishnu Vardhan</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Nitika Tandon</a>, <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Subhashish Panigrahi</a> and <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Noopur Raval</a>, and one team member <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">Dr. U.B. Pavanaja</a> who is working from Bangalore office.</p>
<p><b>Indic Wikipedia Visualisation Project</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/indic-wikipedia-visualisation-project-visualising-basic-parameters">Visualising Basic Parameters</a> (by Sajjad Anwar and Sumandro Chattapadhyay, March 26, 2013): Sajjad and Sumandro bring you a visualisation of the growth of Indic Wikipedia in this first post on Indic Wikipedia Visualisation project. They look into the different aspects of the past and present activities of Indic Wikipedias, and divide the visualisation into three different focus areas: (1) basic parameters, (2) geographic patterns of edits, and (3) exploring the topics that receives the greatest number of edits. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/wikipedia-session-at-bits-goa">Introductory Wikipedia session at BITS Goa</a> (organised by CIS, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, Goa, March 7, 2013). The Access to Knowledge team was invited by Nikhil Dixit from BITS to organise a Wikipedia editing session. Nitika Tandon led the session on IP editing. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/kannada-wikipedia-workshop">Kannada Wikipedia Workshop</a> (organised by CIS, Institution of Engineers, JLB Road, Mysore, March 24, 2013). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja led this workshop.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Co-organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/wiki-womens-day-in-goa">Wiki Women's Day in Goa</a> (organised by the Wikimedia India Chapter and CIS, Nirmala Institute of Education, Panaji, Goa, March 8, 2013). Nitika Tandon participated in this workshop held on International Working Women's Day, and shares the developments in this report.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/wikipedia-workshop-for-kannada-science-writers">Wikipedia Workshop for Kannada Science Writers</a> (organised by Wikimedia India Chapter, Karnataka Rajya Vijnana Parishath and CIS, Karnataka Rajya Vijnana Parishath Conference Hall, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Bangalore, March 17, 2013). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja participated in the event.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Event</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/events/telegu-wiki-mahotsavam-2013">Telugu Wiki Mahotsavam 2013</a> (co-organised with the Telegu Wikipedia community, Hyderabad, April 9 to 11, 2013). Vishnu Vardhan is participating in this event as a speaker. A public event will be held on April 11 from 5.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. at Golden Threshold (Sarojini Naidu's house) in Hyderabad. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wikipedia-womens-workshop-bangalore-2013">Wikipedia Women's Workshop Bangalore 2013</a> (organised by Wikimedia India, Servelots Infotech, Jayanagar, Bangalore, March 8, 2013). The event was covered by Kannada Prabha on March 9, 2013. Dr. U.B. Pavanaja participated in the event.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wikipedia-at-avenir">Wikipedia at Avenir</a> (organised by the Wikipedia community, Netaji Subhash Engineering College, Kolkata, West Bengal, March 11, 2013). CIS supported this event. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Event Report from Other Organisations</b><br />Wikipedia Community members helped the Higher Education Innovation and Research Applications Programme (HEIRA) of CSCS Bangalore to organize a day-long workshop on ‘Digital Literacy’ at Ahmednagar College, Ahmednagar, Maharasthra on January 17, 2013. Tanveer Hasan of HEIRA shares with us the developments in <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/ahmednagar-marathi-wikipedia-workshop-report">this report</a>.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<h3><b>Other </b><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness"><b>Openness</b></a><b> Updates</b></h3>
<p><b>Event Report</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog/iraqi-public-data-scenario-workshop">Iraqi Public Data Scenario Workshop: A Summary</a> (by Sumandro Chattapadhyay, March 26, 2013): A workshop on public data was conducted by Sunil Abraham and Sumandro Chattapadhyay for the officials of the Government of Iraq. It was organized by UNDP Iraq in Amman, Jordan from October 18 to 23, 2012. Sumandro Chattapadhyay shares with us the developments from the workshop held over five days. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/open-data-camp-2013">Open DataCamp - 2013</a> (organized by Open Data Camp, Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram (inside Christ University Campus), Dairy Circle, Bangalore, March 2 and 3, 2013): Sunil Abraham was a panelist.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>HasGeek</b><br />HasGeek creates discussion spaces for geeks and has organised conferences like the <a href="http://fifthelephant.in/2012/">Fifth Elephant</a>, <a href="http://droidcon.in/2011">Droidcon India 2011</a>, <a href="http://androidcamp.hasgeek.com/">Android Camp</a>, etc. HasGeek is supported by CIS and works from the CIS office in Bengaluru.</p>
<p><b>Upcoming Events</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://pigworkshop.fifthelephant.in/">Pig Workshop</a> (organized by HasGeek, Alchemy Solutions, Domlur, Bangalore, 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.): A workshop on how to use Pig for mining useful information from data. It is open to programmers who have a background in Java programming, some familiarity with Hadoop and MapReduce algorithms, and have worked with large chunks of data.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/fifth-elephant-2013">The Fifth Elephant 2013</a> (organized by HasGeek, July 11 to 13, 2013, NIMHANS Convention Centre, Bangalore). </li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/internet-governance">Internet Governance</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Internet Governance programme conducts research around the various social, technical, and political underpinnings of global and national Internet governance, and includes online privacy, freedom of speech, and Internet governance mechanisms and processes. Currently, CIS is doing a project with <b>Privacy International</b>, London to facilitate research and events around surveillance, and freedom of speech and expression.</p>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
<p><b>Policy</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/draft-human-dna-profiling-bill-april-2012">Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill</a> (April 2012): High Level Concerns (by Elonnai Hickok, March 12, 2013). The post examines the high level concerns that CIS has with the April 2012 draft of the Bill.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/human-dna-profiling-bill-analysis">Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012 Analysis</a> (by Jeremy Gruber, Council for Responsible Genetics, US, March 19, 2013). Jeremy provides an analysis of the Human DNA Profiling Bill, 2012. He says that India’s updated 2012 Human DNA Profiling Bill offers largely superficial changes from its predecessor, the Draft DNA Profiling Bill, 2007.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/privacy-protection-bill-2013-citizens-draft">The Privacy (Protection) Bill 2013: A Citizen's Draft</a> (by Bhairav Acharya, March 26, 2013). Bhairav Acharya has drafted the Privacy (Protection) Bill 2013. It contains provisions that speak to data protection, interception, and surveillance and also establishes the powers and functions of the Privacy Commissioner, and lays out offenses and penalties for contravention of the Bill. The Bill represents a citizen's version of possible privacy legislation for India, and will be shared with key stakeholders including civil society, industry, and government.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Events</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/privacy-round-table">A Privacy Round Table in Delhi</a> (organized by CIS and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, FICCI Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi, April 3, 2013). </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/privacy-round-table-in-bangalore">A Privacy Round Table in Bangalore</a> (organized by CIS and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Jayamahal Palace, Jayamahal Road, Bangalore, April 20, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Event Organized</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/analyzing-draft-human-dna-profiling-bill">Analyzing the Draft Human DNA Profiling Bill 2012</a> (organized by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, March 1, 2013): Maria Xynou shares <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/summary-of-cis-workshop-on-dna-profiling-bill-2012">a summary of the workshop</a> in this report.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/global-partners-meeting-london">Global Partners Meeting @ London</a> (organized by Privacy International, London School of Economics and Political Science, March 22 – 25, 2013). Sunil Abraham and Malavika Jayaram participated in the event.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/global-asc-upenn-events-indias-civil-liberties-crisis">India’s Civil Liberties Crisis: Of Bans, Blocks, Bullying and Biometrics</a> (organized by the Center for Global Communication Studies, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, March 28, 2013). Malavika Jayaram participated as a speaker.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/future-of-privacy-in-india-on-april-5-2013-at-oberoi-hotel-new-delhi">Future of Privacy in India</a> (organized by DSCI and ICOMP, Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi, April 5, 2013). Sunil Abraham is a speaker at this event.</li>
</ul>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Blog Posts</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/hacking-without-borders-the-future-of-artificial-intelligence-and-surveillance">Hacking without borders: The future of artificial intelligence and surveillance</a> (by Maria Xynou, March 15, 2013). In this post, Maria looks at some of DARPA´s artificial intelligence surveillance technologies in regards to the right to privacy and their potential future use in India.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/driving-in-the-surveillance-society-cameras-rfid-black-boxes">Driving in the Surveillance Society: Cameras, RFID tags and Black Boxes...</a> (by Maria Xynou, March 26, 2013). Maria examines red light cameras, RFID tags and black boxes used to monitor vehicles in India.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/microsoft-releases-first-report-on-data-requests-by-law-enforcement-agencies">Microsoft Releases its First Report on Data Requests by Law Enforcement Agencies around the World</a> (by Maria Xynou, March 27, 2013). CIS presents Microsoft´s report on law enforcement requests, with a focus on data requested by Indian law enforcement agencies.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/the-criminal-law-amendment-bill-2013">The Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2013 — Penalising 'Peeping Toms' and Other Privacy Issues</a> (by Divij Joshi, March 31, 2013). The pending amendments to the Indian Penal Code, if passed in their current format, would be a huge boost for individual physical privacy by criminalising stalking and sexually-tinted voyeurism and removing the ambiguities in Indian law which threaten the privacy and dignity of individuals.</li>
</ul>
<h3>IT Act</h3>
<p><b>Featured Blog Post</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/cis-welcomes-standing-committee-report-on-it-rules">CIS Welcomes Standing Committee Report on IT Rules</a> (by Pranesh Prakash, March 27, 2013). CIS welcomes the report by the Standing Committee on Subordinate Legislation, in which it has lambasted the government and has recommended that the government amend the Rules it passed in April 2011 under section 79 of the Information Technology Act. The post was quoted in: <a href="http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-28/internet/38098800_1_rules-self-regulation-pranesh-prakash">The Times of India</a> (March 28, 2013), <a href="http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=449591&catid=73">The Statesman</a> (March 28, 2013), <a href="http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-03-28/news/38099676_1_google-chairman-eric-schmidt-government-pranesh-prakash">Economic Times</a> (March 28, 2013), <a href="http://www.dqindia.com/dataquest/news/186012/cis-welcomes-panels-anti-govt-stand-it-rules">Data Quest</a> (March 28, 2013), and <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/clarify-and-define-terms-in-it-rules-panel-tells-govt/article4570291.ece">The Hindu</a> (April 1, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Submissions<br /></b>Bhairav Acharya, on behalf of CIS submitted comments to the Committee on Subordinate Legislation of the 15<sup>th</sup> Lok Sabha for the following rules:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comments-on-it-electronic-service-delivery-rules-2011">Comments on the Information Technology (Electronic Service Delivery) Rules, 2011</a>. The Rules were notified by the Central Government in the Gazette of India vide Notification GSR 316(E) on April 11, 2011.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comments-on-the-it-reasonable-security-practices-and-procedures-and-sensitive-personal-data-or-information-rules-2011">Comments on the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011</a>. The Rules were notified by the Central Government in the Gazette of India vide Notification GSR 313(E) on April 11, 2011.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comments-on-the-it-guidelines-for-cyber-cafe-rules-2011">Comments on the Information Technology (Guidelines for Cyber Cafe) Rules, 2011</a>. The Rules were notified by the Central Government in the Gazette of India vide Notification GSR 315(E) on April 11, 2011.</li>
</ul>
<p>Note: <i>The above rules were submitted earlier but published on our website only recently</i>.</p>
<h3>Unique ID Project</h3>
<p><b>Event Organized</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/uid-and-npr">Unique Identity Number (UID), National Population Register (NPR), and Governance</a> (organized by CIS and Say No to UID Campaign, TERI, Bangalore, March 2, 2013): CIS interviewed Usha Ramanathan and Anant Maringanti. Watch the <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/workshop-on-the-uid-and-npr">videos</a> uploaded in this blog post by Maria Xynou. This was covered in <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/newzfirst-march-3-2013-people-should-resist-enforcement-of-uid-scheme-say-experts">newzfirst</a> on March 3, 2013 and in the <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-march-3-2013-uid-has-no-legal-sanctity">Hindu</a> on March 3, 2013.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Interview</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/uid-and-npr-a-background-note">Unique Identification Scheme (UID) & National Population Register (NPR), and Governance</a> (by Elonnai Hickok, March 14, 2013). The post examines the UID, NPR and Governance as it exists in India. A video on the UID interview Questions and Answers is published.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>News and Media</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/zdnet-mahesh-sharma-march-14-2013-indian-id-crisis-unveils-aadhar-doubts">Indian ID crisis unveils Aadhaar doubts</a> (ZDNet, March 14, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/aeg-india-march-16-2013-new-dollar-one-billion-ric-project-casts-doubts-on-aadhar">New $1 Billion RIC Project Casts Doubts on Aadhaar</a> (AEG India, March 16, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entry</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/indias-biometric-identification-programs-and-privacy-concerns">India's Biometric Identification Programs and Privacy Concerns</a> (by Divij Joshi, March 31, 2013). </li>
</ul>
<h3>Free Speech and Expression</h3>
<p><b>News and Media</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/openmagazine-article-business-prashant-reddy-march-2-2013-foreign-funding-of-ngos">Foreign Funding of NGOs</a> (by Prashant Reddy, Open Magazine, March 2, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/rt-march-1-2013-icelands-proposed-porn-ban">Iceland’s proposed porn ban ‘like repression in Iran, N. Korea’ – activists</a> (RT, March 1, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wsj-march-4-2013-dhanya-ann-thoppil-chidambaram-to-talk-budget-on-google-hangout">Chidambaram to Talk Budget on Google+ Hangout</a> (by Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Wall Street Journal, March 4, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/livemint-ruchita-saxena-march-13-2013-responding-to-govt-requests-is-a-challenge-for-online-firms">Responding to govt requests is a challenge for online firms: Colin Maclay</a> (LiveMint, March 13, 2013). Colin M. Maclay, managing director of Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard mentioned CIS.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/afp-march-18-2013-indian-police-set-up-lab-to-monitor-social-media">Indian police set up lab to monitor social media</a> (originally published by <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iVMgMkOgpXOTaon2VoLdvu2x5oyg?docId=CNG.6d8f555d3498b94bac2fb1046fc7d3a6.4a1">AFP</a>, March 18, 2013, and also carried in <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130318/indian-police-set-lab-monitor-social-media">Global Post</a> on the same day). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wsj-r-jai-krishna-march-20-2013-namaste-mr-eric-schmidt">Namaste, Mr. Eric Schmidt</a> (by R. Jai Krishna, Wall Street Journal, March 20, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-ishan-srivastava-march-28-2013-parliament-panel-blasts-govt-over-ambiguous-internet-laws">Parliament panel blasts govt over ambiguous internet laws</a> (by Ishan Srivastava, The Times of India, March 28, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-atul-sethi-march-30-2013-what-if-the-net-shut-down-for-a-few-days">What if the Net shut down for a few days</a> (by Atul Sethi, The Times of India, March 30, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/the-times-uk-jerome-starkey-francis-elliott-david-brown-march-21-2013-press-controls-send-wrong-message-to-rest-of-world">Press controls ‘send wrong message to rest of world’</a> (by Jerome Starkey from Johannesburg, Francis Elliott from Delhi and David Brown, The Times, UK). </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Organized</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/freedom-song-film-screening-and-discussion">Freedom Song: Film Screening and Discussion</a> (IIHS Bangalore City Campus, March 21, 2013). Freedom Song, a documentary film produced by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust and directed by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Subi Chaturvedi was screened. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.iijnm.org/iijnmnews-rept.html">Is Social Media Incredible?</a> (organized by Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, Bangalore, March 2, 2013). Snehashish Ghosh participated in a panel discussion. The New Indian Express <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/new-indian-express-march-4-2013-social-media-undermining-journalistic-credibility">published a post-event report</a>.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/rethinking-the-internet">Rethinking the Internet: The Way Forward</a> (organized by Telecom Italia and Financial iTimes, Telecom Italia Future Centre, Italy, March 21 – 22, 2013). Pranesh Prakash participated in this event.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Others</h3>
<p><b>Events Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/dml-hub-net-dml-2013">DML 2013: Fourth Annual Conference</a> (co-organised by CIS and Digital Media & Learning Research Hub Central, Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers - Chicago, Illinois, March 14 – 16, 2013). We had a special track that ran through the conference on "Whose Change Is It Anyway? Futures, Youth, Technology And Citizen Action In The Global South (And The Rest Of The World)". Noopur Raval was one of the 16 presenters that we had selected on the tracks. Nishant Shah was one of the members in the <a href="http://http/dml2013.dmlhub.net/">Conference Committee</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Blog Posts</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/wgig-8-stock-taking-mapping-and-going-forward">WGIG+8: Stock-Taking, Mapping, and Going Forward</a> (Fontenoy Building, conference room # 7, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, February 27, 2013). Pranesh Prakash was the moderator for the session. A summary of the discussion has been published.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/dns-singularity-of-icann-and-the-gold-rush">What’s In a Name? — DNS Singularity of ICANN and the Gold Rush</a> (by Sharath Chandra Ram, March 31, 2013). March 2013 being the 28th birthday of the first ever registered Internet domain as well as the exigent launch of the Trademark Clearing House disguised as a milestone in rights protection by ICANN for its new gTLD program, Sharath Chandra Ram, dissects the transitory role of ICANN from being a technical outfit to the Boardroom Big Brother of Internet Governance.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/bensonsamuel-an-introduction-to-bitfilm-and-bitcoin-in-bangalore">An Introduction to Bitfilm & Bitcoin in Bangalore, India</a> (by Benson Samuel, March 12, 2013). Video of the event organized by CIS on January 23, 2013 is published in this blog post.</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access">Knowledge Repository on Internet Access</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS in partnership with the Ford Foundation is executing a project on Internet Access. It covers the history of the internet, technologies involved, principle and values of internet access, broadband market and universal access and will touch upon various polices and regulations which has an impact on internet access and bodies and mechanism which are responsible for formulation policies related to internet access. The blog posts and modules will be published in a new website: <a href="http://www.internet-institute.in">www.internet-institute.in</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Upcoming Event</b><br />We are hosting an “Institute on Internet and Society” in collaboration with the Ford Foundation India, which is to be held from June 8, 2013 to June 14, 2013. Call for registration and relevant details will be announced soon on our website.</p>
<p>The following units have been published:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/internet-protocols">Internet Protocols</a> (by Srividya Vaidyanathan, March 18, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/how-email-works">How email works, how do you get your email? Email Protocols</a> (SMTP, POP, IMAP), SPAM/Phishing (by Srividya Vaidyanathan, March 19, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/internet-corporation-for-assigned-names-and-numbers">Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers</a> (by Snehashish Ghosh, March 19, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/international-telecommunication-union">ITU sectors — ITU-R, ITU-T, ITU-D, etc</a>. (by Snehashish Ghosh, March 27, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/wcit-2012">World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012</a> (by Snehashish Ghosh, March 29, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/telecom">Telecom</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is involved in promoting access and accessibility of telecommunications services and resources and has provided inputs to ongoing policy discussions and consultation papers published by TRAI. It has prepared reports on unlicensed spectrum and accessibility of mobile phones for persons with disabilities and also works with the USOF to include funding projects for persons with disabilities in its mandate:</p>
<p><b>Newspaper Column</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-march-8-2013-are-indias-glory-days-over">Are India's Glory Days Over?</a> (by Shyam Ponappa, <a href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.in/2013/03/are-indias-glory-days-over.html">Organizing India Blogspot</a>, March 8, 2013, originally published in the <a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/are-india-s-glory-days-over-113030600625_1.html">Business Standard</a>, March 6, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/digital-natives">Digital Natives</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Digital Natives with a Cause? examines the changing landscape of social change and political participation in light of the role that young people play through digital and Internet technologies, in emerging information societies. Consolidating knowledge from Asia, Africa and Latin America, it builds a global network of knowledge partners who critically engage with discourse on youth, technology and social change, and look at alternative practices and ideas in the Global South:</p>
<p><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/video-vortex-9-net-re-assemblies-of-video">Video Vortex # 9 Re:assemblies of Video</a> (organized by the Institute of Network Cultures, Post Media Lab, Moving Image Lab, Leuphana, et.al, February 28 – March 2, 2013). Nishant Shah gave the <a href="http://videovortex9.net/ai1ec_event/reassemblies/?instance_id=292">key note</a>. Videos of the event are published.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities">Digital Humanities</a></h2>
<p>From 2012 to 2015, the Researchers @ Work series is focusing on building research clusters in the field of Digital Humanities. We organised the first Habits of Living workshops in Bangalore last year. The next workshop is being held in Brown University</p>
<p><b>Event Co-organised</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities/blogs/habits-of-living/habits-of-living-networked-affects-glocal-effects">Habits of Living: Networked Affects, Glocal Effects</a> (co-organised with Brown University, March 21 – 23, 2013, Brown University, Rhode Island). Nishant Shah was a <a href="http://www.brown.edu/Conference/Habits/">speaker</a> at this event. He made a presentation on network ontologies.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/news/trans-review-korean-trans-cine-media-in-global-contexts">Korean Trans Cine-Media in Global Contexts: Asia and the World</a> (organized by Trans-Asia Screen Culture Institute, Cinema Studies, Korean National University of Arts, Korean Film Archive and Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University, Seoul, March 27 – 29, 2013). Nishant Shah was a speaker at this event. He spoke on "The Asian Intercourse: Reimagining the Inter-Asia moment through ‘net-porn’ in networks".</li>
</ul>
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<h2><a href="http://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/">About CIS</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Centre for Internet and Society is a non-profit research organization that works on policy issues relating to freedom of expression, privacy, accessibility for persons with disabilities, access to knowledge and IPR reform, and openness (including open government, FOSS, open standards, etc.), and engages in academic research on digital natives and digital humanities.</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify; ">Please help us defend consumer / citizen rights on the Internet! Write a cheque in favour of ‘The Centre for Internet and Society’ and mail it to us at No. 194, 2nd ‘C’ Cross, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru – 5600 71.</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify; ">We invite researchers, practitioners, and theoreticians, both organisationally and as individuals, to collaboratively engage with Internet and society and improve our understanding of this new field. To discuss the research collaborations, write to Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, at <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> or Nishant Shah, Director – Research, at <a href="mailto:nishant@cis-india.org">nishant@cis-india.org</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>CIS is grateful to its donors, Wikimedia Foundation, Ford Foundation, Privacy International, UK, Hans Foundation and the Kusuma Trust which was founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, philanthropists of Indian origin, for its core funding and support for most of its projects.</i></p>
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No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceDigital HumanitiesOpennessResearchers at Work2013-04-14T11:45:29ZPageCIS Comments on TRAI Consultation Paper on Promoting Local Telecom Equipment Manufacturing
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/cis-comments-on-promoting-local-telecom-equipment-manufacturing
<b>The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) sent comments to the TRAI Consultation Paper on promoting telecom equipment manufacturing. CIS submission drew primarily from the research done in the Pervasive Technologies project.</b>
<p><b><a class="external-link" href="http://trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/CP_on_Manufacturing_18_09_17.pdf">Read TRAI's Consultation Paper on Promoting Local Telecom Equipment Manufacturing </a></b></p>
<hr />
<ol style="text-align: justify; "> </ol>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><span>Preliminary</span></b></p>
<ol style="text-align: justify; "> </ol>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><span> </span></b></p>
<ol style="text-align: justify; ">
<li style="text-align: justify; "><span>This submission presents comments by the Centre for Internet and Society, India ("<b>CIS</b>") on the <i>Consultation Paper on Promoting Local Telecom Equipment Manufacturing </i>dated 18.09. 2017, released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), under Department of Telecom, Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies (“<b>the TRAI Consultation Paper</b>”).</span><span> </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><span>We commend TRAI for its efforts at seeking inputs from various stakeholders on this important and timely issue and are thankful for the opportunity to put forth our views.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><span>We have addressed questions 3 and 5 of the TRAI Consultation Paper. Question numbers referred to in our submission correspond to those in the TRAI Consultation Paper.</span><span> </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><span>Further, the Department of Industrial Planning and Promotion (DIPP) invited comments on SEPs and their availability on FRAND terms on 01. 03. 2016.<a href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1"><span>[1]</span></a> CIS submitted a detailed response to the consultation, and our present submission will draw significantly from our earlier response<a href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2"><span>[2]</span></a>, as well as new empirical research concluded in the since the time of the consultation.</span></li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span> </span></p>
<ol style="text-align: justify; "> </ol>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><span>About CIS<br /></span></b></p>
<ol style="text-align: justify; "> </ol>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span> </span></p>
<ol style="text-align: justify; ">
<li style="text-align: justify; "><span>CIS<a href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3"><span>[3]</span></a> is a non-profit organisation that undertakes interdisciplinary research on internet and digital technologies from policy and academic perspectives. Our areas of focus include IP rights, openness, internet governance, telecommunication reform, free speech, intermediary liability, digital privacy, cyber-security, and accessibility for persons with diverse abilities.</span><span> </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><span>We strive to maximise public benefit, useful innovation, vibrant competition and consumer welfare. This submission is consistent with our commitment to the domestic goals (as enumerated in Make in India and Digital India), and the protection of India's national interest at the international level. </span></li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span> </span></p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><span>Submission on the Issues for Resolution<br /></span></b></p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><i><span>“Q.3 Are the existing patent laws in India sufficient to address the issues of local manufacturers? If No, then suggest the measures to be adopted and amendments that need to be incorporated for supporting the local telecom manufacturing industry.</span></i></b><span>”</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>We submit that amendments to the Patents Act, 1970 may not be preferred, presently. It may be noted that there have been no judgments concluded by Indian courts on disputes relating to licensing of SEPs, yet. Justice Bakhru’s landmark order in <i>Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Publ) </i>v. <i>Competition Commission of India (2016) </i>provided valuable clarity on the issue of conflict between remedies under Patents Act, 1970 and Competition Act, 1970. As various other matters are yet to be conclusively decided, and given the complex legal questions involved around the interpretation of Patents Act, 1970 and Competition Act, 2002, and constitutional issues around the jurisdiction of regulators and the power of judicial review of the courts, we believe that it would be prudent to examine the ruling of the courts on these issues in some detail, before considering amendments.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>However, to support the local telecom manufacturing industry the Government of India may adopt and implement the following measures: </span></p>
<ol style="text-align: justify; ">
<li style="text-align: justify; "><b><span> <span>Develop Model Guidelines to improve the working of Indian Standard Setting Organisations (SSOs</span>): </span></b><span>Given the increasing complexity and time-consuming nature of SEP litigation in India, there is a tangible threat of the abuse of the FRAND process, it might be useful for the government to make suggestions on the working of Indian SSOs. The functioning of Indian SSOs has not been satisfactory and it is suggested that the government develop Model Guidelines that may be adopted by Indian SSOs, taking into account India specific requirements. The India specific requirements include a large and exponentially growing mobile device market which has made it possible for manufacturers, patent owners and implementers alike to achieve financial gains even with a low margin. We believe that this measure will also enable the fulfillment of the objectives of the Make in India and Digital India initiatives.</span><span><br /><br />We recommend that various stakeholders, including IP holders, potential licensees and users of IP, civil society organizations, academics, and, government bodies, including the Indian Patent Office, the Department of Telecommunications, the DIPP, TRAI, and, the CCI be consulted in the creation of these Model Guidelines.</span><span><br /><br />In our opinion, the Model Guidelines may cover (a) the composition of the SSO; (b) the process of admitting members; (c) the process of the determination of a standard or technical specification; (d) the process of declassification of a standard or technical specification; (e) the IPR Policy; (f) resolution of disputes; (g) applicable law.<br /><br /></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><b><span><span>Initiate the formation of a patent pool of critical mobile technologies and cap royalty payments</span></span></b><span><span>:</span></span><span> In light of the observed inadequacies in the IPR policies of various SSOs in India, as well the spate of ongoing patent infringement lawsuits around mobile technologies, we recommend that the government intervene in the setting of royalties and FRAND terms by setting up a patent pool of critical mobile technologies and apply a compulsory license with a five per cent royalty. Further, patent pools should be required to offer FRAND licenses on the same terms to both members and nonmembers of the pool.</span><span> </span><span><br /><br />Our motivations for this proposal are manifold. In our opinion, it is nearly impossible for potential licensees to avoid inadvertent patent infringement. As a part of our research on technical standards applicable to mobile phones sold in India, we have found nearly 322 standards so far.<a href="#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4"><span>[4]</span></a> It is submitted that carrying out patent searches for all the standards would be extremely expensive for potential licensees. Further, even if such searches were to be carried out, different patent owners, SSOs and potential licensees disagree on valuation, essentiality, enforceability, validity, and coverage of patents. In addition, some patent owners are non-practising entities and may not be members of SSOs. The patents held by them are not likely to be disclosed. More importantly, homegrown manufacturers that have no patents to leverage and may be new entrants in the market would be especially disadvantaged by such a scenario. Budget phone manufacturers, standing to incur losses either as a result of heavy licensing fees, or, potential litigation, may close down. Alternatively, they may pass on their losses to consumers, driving the now affordable phones out of their financial reach. With the objectives of Make in India and Digital India in sight, it is essential that Indian consumers continue to have access to devices within their purchasing power.</span><span> </span><span><br /><br />Further, how did we arrive at a cap of 5 percent? The rationale for this figure is the royalty cap imposed by India in the early 1990s. As part of regulating foreign technology agreements, the (former) Department of Industrial Development (later merged with DIPP) capped royalty rates in the early 1990s. Payment of royalties was capped at either a lump sum payment of $2 million, or, 5 percent on the royalty rates charged for domestic sale, and, 8 percent for export of goods pertaining to “high priority industries”.<a href="#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5"><span>[5]</span></a> Royalties higher than 5 percent or 8 percent, as the case may be, required securing approval from the government. While the early 1990s (specifically, 1991) was too early for the mobile device manufacturing industry to be listed among high priority industries, the public announcement by the government covered computer software, consumer electronics, and electrical and electronic appliances for home use. The cap on royalty rates was lifted by the DIPP in 2009.<a href="#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6"><span>[6]</span></a> It is submitted in the case of mobile device technology, we are witnessing a situation similar to that of the 1990s. In this sphere, most of the patent holders are multinational corporations which results in large royalty amounts leaving India. At the same time, litigation over patent infringement in India has limited the manufacture and sale of mobile devices of homegrown brands. While SEP litigation in India is indeed comparable to international SEP litigation on broader issues raised, specifically competition law concerns, but differs crucially where the parties are concerned. International SEP litigation is largely between multinational corporations with substantial patent portfolios, capable of engaging in long drawn out litigations, or engaging in other strategies including setting off against each other’s patent portfolios. Dynamics in the Indian market differ – with a larger SEP holder litigating against smaller manufacturers, many of whom are indigenous, homegrown.</span><span><br /><br />In June, 2013, we had recommended to the erstwhile Hon’ble Minister for Human Resource Development<a href="#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7"><span>[7]</span></a> that a patent pool of essential technologies be established, with the compulsory licensing mechanism. Subsequently, in February, 2015, we reiterated this request to the Hon’ble Prime Minister.<a href="#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8"><span>[8]</span></a> We propose that the Government of India initiate the formation of a patent pool of critical mobile technologies and mandate a five percent compulsory license.<a href="#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9"><span>[9]</span></a> As we have stated in our request to the Hon’ble Prime Minister, we believe that such a pool would “<i>possibly avert patent disputes by ensuring that the owners' rights are not infringed on, that budget manufacturers are not put out of business owing to patent feuds, and that consumers continue to get access to inexpensive mobile devices. Several countries including the United States issue compulsory licenses on patents in the pharmaceutical, medical, defence, software, and engineering domains for reasons of public policy, or to thwart or correct anticompetitive practices.</i>”<a href="#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10"><span>[10]</span></a> We believe that such a measure will not be in breach of our international obligations under the TRIPS Agreement.<br /><br /></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><b><span><span>Increase transparency in the patent system by making patentees comply with the law</span></span></b><span>: </span><span>The Patents Act, 1970 requires patentees and licensees to submit a statement on commercial working of the invention to the Controller every year.<a href="#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11"><span>[11]</span></a> Form 27 under section 146(2) of the Act lists the details necessary to be disclosed for compliance of the requirement of “working”. A jurisprudential analysis reveals the rationale and objective behind this mandatory requirement. Undeniably, the scheme of the Indian patent regime makes it amply clear that “working” is a very important requirement, and the public as well as competitors have a right to access this information in a timely manner, without undue hurdles. Indeed, as the decision<a href="#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12"><span>[12]</span></a> in <i>Natco Pharma </i>v. <i>Bayer Corporation<a href="#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13"><b><span>[13]</span></b></a></i> reveals, the disclosures in Form 27 were crucial to determining the imposition of a compulsory license on the patentee. <b>Thus, broadly, Form 27 disclosures can critically enable willing licensees to access patent “working” information in a timely manner</b>.</span><span> </span><span><br /><br />However, there has been little compliance of this requirement by the patentees, despite the Indian Patent Office (<b>IPO</b>) reiterating the importance of compliance through the issuance of multiple public notices<a href="#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14"><span>[14]</span></a> (suo motu and in response to a public interest litigation filed in 2011<a href="#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15"><span>[15]</span></a>), and, reminding the patentees that noncompliance is punishable with a heavy fine.<a href="#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16"><span>[16]</span></a> Findings of research submitted by one of the parties<a href="#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17"><span>[17]</span></a> in the writ of the 2011 public interest <i>litigation Shamnad Basheer v. Union of India</i> <i>and others</i><a href="#_ftn18" name="_ftnref18"><span>[18]</span></a> reveal as follows. First, a large number of Form 27s are unavailable for download from the website of the IPO. This possibly indicates that the forms have either not been filed by the patentees with the IPO, or have not been uploaded (yet) by the IPO. Second, a large number of filings in the telecom sector remain incomplete.</span><span><br /><br />In 2015, CIS queried the IPO website for Form 27s of mobile device patents to arrive at a similar conclusion. We obtained 4,916 valid Form 27s, corresponding to 3,126 mobile device patents from public online records. These represented only 20.1% of all Forms 27 that should have been filed and corresponded to only 72.5% of all mobile device patents for which Forms 27 should have been filed. Forms 27 were missing for almost all patentees, and even among Forms 27 that were obtained, almost none contained useful information regarding the working of the subject patents or fully complying with the informational requirements of the Indian Patent Rules.<a href="#_ftn19" name="_ftnref19"><span>[19]</span></a></span><span><br /><br />Further, in our study, we observed that patentees adopted drastically different positions regarding the definition of patent working, some arguing that importation of products into India or licensing of Indian suppliers constituted working, while others even went so far as to argue that the granting of a worldwide license to a non-Indian firm constituted working in India. Several significant patentees claimed that they or their patent portfolios were simply too large to enable the provision of information relating to individual patents, and instead provided gross revenue and product sale figures, together with historical anecdotes about their long histories in India.</span><span><br /><br />The Indian government has made little or no effort to monitor or police compliance with Form 27 filings, undoubtedly leading to significant non-compliance. We also propose the alteration of the Form 27 template<a href="#_ftn20" name="_ftnref20"><span>[20]</span></a> to include more disclosures.<a href="#_ftn21" name="_ftnref21"><span>[21]</span></a> Presently, patentees are required to declare number of licensees and sub-licensees. We specifically propose that the format of Form 27 filings be modified to include patent pool licenses, with an explicit declaration of the names of the licensees and not just the number.<br /><br /></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><span><b>Require royalty rates to be decided on the basis of the Smallest Saleable Patent Practicing Component: </b>Most modern telecommunication and IT devices are complex with numerous technologies working in tandem. Different studies indicate that the number of patents in the US applicable to smartphones is between 200,000 and 250,000.<a href="#_ftn22" name="_ftnref22"><span>[22]</span></a> A comprehensive patent landscape of mobile device technologies conducted by CIS reveals that nearly 4,000 patents are applicable to mobile phones sold in India.<a href="#_ftn23" name="_ftnref23"><span>[23]</span></a> It is thus extremely difficult to quantify the exact extent of interaction and interdependence between technologies in any device, in such a way that the exact contribution of the patented technology to the entire device can be determined. Thus, we submit that royalty rates for SEPs should be based on the <i>smallest saleable patent practising component</i>, and not on the net price of the downstream product.</span><span><br /><br />The net cost of the device is almost always several times that of the chipset that implements the patented technology. Armstrong et al<a href="#_ftn24" name="_ftnref24"><span>[24]</span></a> have found that the cost of a 4G baseband chip costs up to $20 including royalties in a hypothetical $400 phone sold in the US. One of the litigating parties in the ongoing patent infringement lawsuits in India has stated that one of the reasons for preferring to leverage its patents as downstream as possible in the value chain is that it will earn the company more royalties.<a href="#_ftn25" name="_ftnref25"><span>[25]</span></a> In instances where patent exhaustion occurs much earlier in the value chain, such as in the case of the company’s cross-licenses with Qualcomm (another company that owns patents to chip technologies), the company does not try to obtain royalties from the selling prices of devices for the cross-licensed technologies. It is submitted that such market practices could be detrimental to the government’s objectives such as providing a mobile handset to every Indian by 2020 as a part of the Digital India programme.<a href="#_ftn26" name="_ftnref26"><span>[26]</span></a> It is also worth noting in this context that the mobile device is the first and only medium of access to the Internet and telecom services for a large number of Indians, and, consequently, the only gateway to access to knowledge, information and critical services, including banking.<a href="#_ftn27" name="_ftnref27"><span>[27]</span></a></span><b><i><span><br /><br /> “Q.5 Please suggest a dispute resolution mechanism for determination of royalty distribution on FRAND (Fair Reasonable and Non Discriminatory) basis.”</span></i></b><span><br /><br />The licensing of SEPs on FRAND terms requires the parties to negotiate “reasonable” royalty rates in good faith, and apply the terms uniformly to all willing licensees. It is our submission that if the parties cannot agree to FRAND terms, they may enter into <b>binding arbitration</b>. Further, if all efforts fail, there exist remedies under the Patents Act and the Competition Act, 2002 to address the issues.</span><span><br /><br />Section 115 of the Patents Act empowers the court to appoint an independent scientific adviser “<i>to assist the court or to inquire and report upon any such question of fact or of opinion (not involving a question of interpretation of law) as it may formulate for the purpose.</i>”<a href="#_ftn28" name="_ftnref28"><span>[28]</span></a> Such an independent adviser may inform the court on the technical nuances of the matter.</span><span><br /><br />Further<b>, </b>under the Patents Act, pending the decision of infringement proceedings the Court may provide interim relief, if the plaintiff proves <i>first, </i>a prima facie case of infringement; <i>second, </i>that the balance of convenience tilts in plaintiff’s favour; and, <i>third, </i>that if an injunction is not granted the plaintiff shall suffer irreparable damage. However, it is our suggestion that courts adopt a more cautious stance towards granting injunctions in the field of SEP litigation. <i>First, </i>in our opinion, injunctions may prove to be a deterrent to arrive at a FRAND commitment, in particular, egregiously harming the willing licensee. <i>Second, </i>especially in the Indian scenario, where litigating parties operate in vastly different price segments (thereby targeting consumers with different purchasing power), it is difficult to establish that “irreparable damage” has been caused to the patent owner on account of infringement. <i>Third, </i>we note the approach of the European Court of Justice, which prohibited the patent holder from enforcing an injunction provided a willing licensee makes an offer for the price it wishes to pay to use a patent under the condition that it deposited an amount in the bank as a security for the patent holder.<a href="#_ftn29" name="_ftnref29"><span>[29]</span></a> <i>Fourth, </i>we also note the approach of the Federal Trade Commission in the USA, which only authorizes patent holders to seek injunctive relief against potential licensees who have either stated that they will not license a patent on any terms, or refuse to enter into a license agreement on terms that have been set in the final ruling of a court or arbitrator.<a href="#_ftn30" name="_ftnref30"><span>[30]</span></a> Further, as Contreras (2015)<a href="#_ftn31" name="_ftnref31"><span>[31]</span></a> observes, that the precise boundaries of what constitutes as an unwilling licensee remains to be seen. We observe a similar ambiguity in Indian jurisprudence, and accordingly submit that courts should carefully examine the conduct of the licensee to injunct them from the alleged infringement.</span></li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Concluding Remarks</b></p>
<ol style="text-align: justify; "> </ol>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>We are thankful to TRAI for the opportunity to make these submissions. It would be our pleasure and privilege to discuss these comments with the TRAI; and, supplement these with further submissions if necessary. We also offer our assistance on other matters aimed at developing a suitable policy framework for SEPs and FRAND in India, and, working towards the sustained innovation, manufacture and availability of mobile technologies in India.</span></p>
<hr style="text-align: justify; " />
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1"><span>[1]</span></a> Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Discussion Paper on Standard Essential Patents and their Availability on Frand Terms, available at <a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/discussion-paper-on-standard-essential-patents-and-their-availability-on-frand-terms">https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/discussion-paper-on-standard-essential-patents-and-their-availability-on-frand-terms</a> (last accessed November 13, 2017)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2"><span>[2]</span></a> Anubha Sinha, Nehaa Chaudhari and Rohini Lakshane, “CIS’ Comments on Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Discussion Paper on Standard Essential Patents and their Availability on Frand Terms” (April 23, 2016); available at <a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/comments-on-department-of-industrial-policy-and-promotion-discussion-paper-on-standard-essential-patents-and-their-availability-on-frand-terms">https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/comments-on-department-of-industrial-policy-and-promotion-discussion-paper-on-standard-essential-patents-and-their-availability-on-frand-terms</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3"><span>[3]</span></a> <a href="http://www.cis-india.org">www.cis-india.org</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4"><span>[4]</span></a> Rohini Lakshané, CIS, List of Technical Standards and IP Types (Working document), available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8SgjShAjhbtaml5eW50bS01d2s/view?usp=sharing (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5"><span>[5]</span></a> Kumkum Sen, News on Royalty Payments Brings Cheer in New Year, available at http://www.businessstandard.com/article/economypolicy/newsonroyaltypaymentbringscheerinnewyear11001 0400044_1.html (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6"><span>[6]</span></a> See Sanjana Govil, Putting a Lid on Royalty Outflows How the RBI Can Help Reduce India’s IP Costs <i>, </i>available at <a href="http://cisindia.org/a2k/blogs/lidonroyaltyoutflows">http://cisindia.org/a2k/blogs/lidonroyaltyoutflows</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017) for a discussion on the introduction of royalty caps in the early 1990s, and its success in reducing the flow of money out of India.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7"><span>[7]</span></a> Nehaa Chaudhari, Letter for Establishment of Patent Pool for Low cost Access Devices through Compulsory</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Licenses, available at <a href="http://cisindia.org/a2k/blogs/letterforestablishmentofpatentpoolforlowcostaccessdevices">http://cisindia.org/a2k/blogs/letterforestablishmentofpatentpoolforlowcostaccessdevices </a>(last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8"><span>[8]</span></a> See Rohini Lakshané, Open Letter to PM Modi, available at <a href="http://cisindia.org/a2k/blogs/openlettertoprimeministermodi">http://cisindia.org/a2k/blogs/openlettertoprimeministermodi</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017) for further details of CIS’ proposal.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9"><span>[9]</span></a> Rohini Lakshané, FAQ: CIS’ proposal to form a patent pool of critical mobile technology, September 2015, available at <a href="http://cisindia.org/a2k/blogs/faqcisproposalforcompulsorylicensingofcriticalmobiletechnologies">http://cisindia.org/a2k/blogs/faqcisproposalforcompulsorylicensingofcriticalmobiletechnologies </a>(last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10"><span>[10]</span></a> Id.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11"><span>[11]</span></a> Section 146(2) of the Patents Act, 1970.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12"><span>[12]</span></a> Sai Vinod, Patent Office Finally Takes Form 27s Seriously, available at <a href="http://spicyip.com/2013/02/patentofficefinallytakesform27s.html">http://spicyip.com/2013/02/patentofficefinallytakesform27s.html</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13"><span>[13]</span></a> Order No. 45/2013 (Intellectual Property Appellate Board, Chennai), available at <a href="http://www.ipab.tn.nic.in/0452013.htm">http://www.ipab.tn.nic.in/0452013.htm</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14"><span>[14]</span></a> Intellectual Property India, Public Notice, available at</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.ipindia.nic.in/iponew/publicNotice_Form27_12Feb2013.pdf">http://www.ipindia.nic.in/iponew/publicNotice_Form27_12Feb2013.pdf</a> ((last accessed 13 November, 2017) <i>and </i>Intellectual Property India, Public Notice, available at <a href="http://ipindia.nic.in/iponew/publicNotice_24December2009.pdf">http://ipindia.nic.in/iponew/publicNotice_24December2009.pdf</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15"><span>[15]</span></a> Supra note 11.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16"><span>[16]</span></a> Id.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17"><span>[17]</span></a> See research findings available at <a href="http://spicyip.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/05/FORM27WP1Rcopy.pdf">http://spicyip.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/05/FORM27WP1Rcopy.pdf</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18"><span>[18]</span></a> In the High Court of Delhi, W.P.(C) 5590/2015. This litigation is currently ongoing. See, illustratively, Mathews P. George, <i>Patent Working in India: Delhi HC issues notice in Shamnad Basheer </i>v<i>. Union of India & Ors. – I </i>, available at <a href="http://spicyip.com/2015/09/patentworkinginindiadelhihcissuesnoticeinshamnadbasheervunionofindiaorsi.html">http://spicyip.com/2015/09/patentworkinginindiadelhihcissuesnoticeinshamnadbasheervunionofindiaorsi.html</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref19" name="_ftn19"><span>[19]</span></a> Contreras, Jorge L. and Lakshané, Rohini and Lewis, Paxton, Patent Working Requirements and Complex Products (October 1, 2017). NYU Journal of Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: <a href="https://ssrn.com/abstract=3004283">https://ssrn.com/abstract=3004283</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref20" name="_ftn20"><span>[20]</span></a> Form 27, The Patents Act, available at <a href="http://ipindia.nic.in/ipr/patent/manual/HTML%20AND%20PDF/Manual%20of%20Patent%20Office%20Practice%20and%20Procedure%20%20html/Forms/Form27.pdf">http://ipindia.nic.in/ipr/patent/manual/HTML%20AND%20PDF/Manual%20of%20Patent%20Office%20Practice%20and%20Procedure%20%20html/Forms/Form27.pdf</a> (last accessed November 13, 10`7).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref21" name="_ftn21"><span>[21]</span></a> However, we came across some complaints raised by patentees and industry observers regarding the structure of the Form 27 requirement - namely, patents covering complex, multi-component products that embody dozens of technical standards and thousands of patents are not necessarily amenable to the individual-level data requested by Form 27. See Contreras, Jorge L. and Lakshané, Rohini and Lewis, Paxton, Patent Working Requirements and Complex Products (October 1, 2017). NYU Journal of Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: <a href="https://ssrn.com/abstract=3004283">https://ssrn.com/abstract=3004283</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref22" name="_ftn22"><span>[22]</span></a> Mark Lemley and Carl Shapiro, Patent Holdup and Royalty Stacking, <i>85 Tex. L. Rev. at 2015 </i>; See also, for e.g.,</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">RPX Corporation, Amendment No. 3 to Form Sl,11 Apr. 2011, at 59, available at http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1509432/000119312511101007/ds1a.htm (last accessed 22 April, 2016), quoting <i>“Based on our research, we believe there are more than 250,000 active patents relevant to today’s</i></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>smartphones…” </i>.; See further Steve Lohr, Apple Samsung Case Shows Smartphone as Legal Magnet, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2012, available at <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/technology/applesamsungcaseshowssmartphoneaslawsuitmagnet">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/technology/applesamsungcaseshowssmartphoneaslawsuitmagnet</a>.html (last accessed November13, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref23" name="_ftn23"><span>[23]</span></a> Jorge L. Contreras and Rohini Lakshané, Patents and Mobile Devices in India: An Empirical Survey, available at <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2756486">http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2756486</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref24" name="_ftn24"><span>[24]</span></a> Ann Armstrong, Joseph J. Mueller and Timothy D. Syrett, The SmartphoneRoyalty Stack:Surveying Royalty Demands for the Components Within Modern Smartphones, available at <a href="https://www.wilmerhale.com/uploadedFiles/Shared_Content/Editorial/Publications/Documents/TheSmartphoneRoyaltyStackArmstrongMuellerSyrett.pdf">https://www.wilmerhale.com/uploadedFiles/Shared_Content/Editorial/Publications/Documents/TheSmartphoneRoyaltyStackArmstrongMuellerSyrett.pdf</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref25" name="_ftn25"><span>[25]</span></a> Florian Mueller, Ericsson Explained Publicly why it Collects Patent Royalties from Device (Not Chipset) Makers, available at <a href="http://www.fosspatents.com/2014/01/ericssonexplainedpubliclywhyits.Html">http://www.fosspatents.com/2014/01/ericssonexplainedpubliclywhyits.Html</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref26" name="_ftn26"><span>[26]</span></a> Romit Guha and Anandita Singh Masinkotia, PM Modi’s Digital India Project:Government to Ensure that Every Indian has a Smartphone by 2019, available at <a href="http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/20140825/news/53205445_1_digitalindiaindiatodayfinancialservices">http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/20140825/news/53205445_1_digitalindiaindiatodayfinancialservices</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref27" name="_ftn27"><span>[27]</span></a> Nehaa Chaudhari, Standard Essential Patents on Low Cost Mobile Phones in India: A Case to Strengthen Competition Regulation? available at <a href="http://www.manupatra.co.in/newsline/articles/Upload/08483340C1B94BA4B6A9D6B6494391B8.pdf">http://www.manupatra.co.in/newsline/articles/Upload/08483340C1B94BA4B6A9D6B6494391B8.pdf</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref28" name="_ftn28"><span>[28]</span></a> Section 115 of the Patents Act, 1970.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref29" name="_ftn29"><span>[29]</span></a> <i>Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd </i>v. <i>ZTE Corp. and ZTE Deutschland </i>, Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 16 July 2015 in GmbH C170/13.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref30" name="_ftn30"><span>[30]</span></a> Third Party United States Fed. Trade Commission’s Statement on the Public Interest, <i>In re Certain Wireless Communication Devices, Portable Music and Data Processing Devices, Computers and Components Thereof</i>, U.S. Int’l Trade Comm’n, Inv. No. 337TA745 (Jun. 6, 2012).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref31" name="_ftn31"><span>[31]</span></a> Jorge L. Contreras, A Brief History of FRAND: Analyzing Current Debates in Standard Setting and Antitrust Through a Historical Lens <i>, </i>80 Antitrust Law Journal 39 (2015), available at h ttp://ssrn.com/abstract=2374983 or <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2374983">http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2374983</a> (last accessed 13 November, 2017).</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/cis-comments-on-promoting-local-telecom-equipment-manufacturing'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/cis-comments-on-promoting-local-telecom-equipment-manufacturing</a>
</p>
No publishersinhaTelecomFeaturedHomepage2017-11-26T02:56:15ZBlog EntryPublic Debate on 'Differential Pricing': Series 1
http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/a-series-of-public-debates-on-differential-pricing-series-1
<b>The Centre for Internet and Society, in association with ICRIER and the Department of Civics and Politics, University of Mumbai, is pleased to announce “A Series of Public Debates on Differential Pricing” in the cities of Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi. The first public debate will be held at the Centre for Internet & Society office in Bangalore on February 1, 2016. </b>
<div class="kssattr-target-parent-fieldname-text-b0c8dac0221d45df8f2e6e8e3a8d7a4a kssattr-macro-rich-field-view kssattr-templateId-widgets/rich kssattr-atfieldname-text " id="parent-fieldname-text-b0c8dac0221d45df8f2e6e8e3a8d7a4a">
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In light of the recent consultation paper released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the objective of these debates will be to deconstruct the issue of differential pricing through a discussion on the variety of views this subject has attracted. Speakers will also discuss possible implications of differential pricing policy on questions of access, diversity, competition and entrepreneurship.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Each debate will comprise three rounds. In the first round, speakers will present the body of their arguments over 10 minutes each. The second round will be a rebuttal round, with each speaker being given 5 minutes. The third and final round will see the floor being opened to the audience who will engage the speakers with comments and questions.</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: justify; "><a href="resolveuid/a01978fec6244f86b178b26006f1b312" class="internal-link">Download the Invite</a></h2>
</div>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/a-series-of-public-debates-on-differential-pricing-series-1'>http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/a-series-of-public-debates-on-differential-pricing-series-1</a>
</p>
No publishervidushiFreedom of Speech and ExpressionTelecomEventInternet Governance2016-01-27T13:51:06ZEventA Megacorp’s Basic Instinct
http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/outlook-february-8-2016-arindam-mukherjee-a-megacorps-basic-instinct
<b>Bolstered by academia and civil society, TRAI stands its ground against FB’s Free Basics publicity blitz.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article by Arindam Mukherjee was <a class="external-link" href="http://www.outlookindia.com/article/a-megacorps-basic-instinct/296510">published in Outlook</a> on February 8, 2016. Sunil Abraham was quoted.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Hours before the January 31 deadline for telecom regulator TRAI to give its opinion on Facebook’s controversial and expensive Free Basics pitch—which seeks to give India’s poor “free” access to certain partner websites—the consensus seems to be building up against the social media giant. “If there is cannibalising of the internet through services like Free Basics, the internet will be split; it will parcel out and slice the internet. Its future is at stake,” says a senior government official on condition of anonymity.<br /><br />In a climate where the tech-savvy Modi government is seen to be close to the online trinity of Facebook, Google and Twitter, TRAI’s defiant stance in favour of net neutrality stands out. There’s a lot at stake. India’s position becomes crucial as few countries in the world have clearly defined laws on net neutrality or have taken a stand on it. For Facebook, there’s a lot more at stake. India is its second-largest user base after the US (it is banned in China), so it is leaving no stone unturned. The massive Rs 300-crore electronic and print media campaign is an indication of that.<br /><br />TRAI sources say they are ready for any adverse onslaught and they are under no pressure from the PMO. The view gaining ground in government is that FB is trying to create a walled garden where it controls what people see and surf and what they can access online. While this will be offered to consumers for free—the technical term is differential pricing—the websites part of Free Basics will have to pay for being on the platform. Outlook’s queries to FB remained unanswered at the time of going to press.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">At an ‘open house’ meeting to discuss TRAI’s consultation paper on differential pricing last week, regulator Ram Sevak Sharma stood firm against the barrage of pro-Free Basics opinions that flowed from FB, telecom operators and some members of the public. TRAI’s message was clear: FB’s tactics of moulding public opinion by stealth will not be acceptable in India. In the past few weeks, there have been bitter exchanges between TRAI and FB over the latter’s responses to a consultation paper on differential pricing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">TRAI’s defiant stand draws from an unprecedented show of strength by civil society against Free Basics and FB’s intentions. Says former Aadhar man Nandan Nilekani, “Free Basics is certainly against net neutrality. How can a solution be neutral, if it disproportionately benefits a particular website or business on the internet? Today, 400 million Indians are online. They came online because of the inherent value the internet offers. How can a walled garden of 100-odd websites provide the same value?”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">What does Free Basics mean for PM Modi’s Digital India campaign? Being a walled garden, thousands of start-ups without adequate budgets to pay for such dedicated service will be forced to stay out of it. Similar questions are being raised about government services that are increasingly coming online. The concern is that all government traffic will have to pass through FB servers. The senior government official quoted above agrees, “In such a scenario, the government will have to approach FB to make its websites accessible on the free service which is neither desirable nor safe.”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The other fear is what happens to public data if it goes through a service like Free Basics. There is fear that a lot of government and public data will be put through Free Basics once government services start coming online. If Free Basics is for the poor who are also beneficiaries of government services, FB too can access this data. Says Prabir Purkayastha, chairman, Knowledge Commons, “FB says public service will be available through Free Basics but can public service be given through a private initiative? Public data is valuable and can’t be handed over to a private company.”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Few again are convinced by FB’s claim that Free Basics aims to make the internet accessible to the poor, with the many services offered through it. “The claim that the poor will get access to the internet is false,” warns Sunil Abraham, executive director, Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore. “Free Basics gives access to less than 100 of the one billion plus websites on the world wide web. Those in the walled garden will be treated quite differently.”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">What gives TRAI a shot in the arm is that, for the first time, academia has put its weight behind Free Basics opponents. In a signed statement, several IIT and IISc Bangalore professors have said that Free Basics won’t serve the purpose FB is proposing and is not good for the country. “The problem is the internet being provided (via Free Basics) is a shrunken and sanitised version of the real thing. Free Basics is not a good proposal for the long-term development of a healthy and democratic internet setup in India,” says Amitabha Bagchi, IIT Delhi professor and one of the signatories to the memo.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Of course, many of the experts <i>Outlook</i> spoke to say that the government, and not FB, should be responsible for providing free internet to the people. Says Parminder Jeet Singh, executive director, IT for Change, “The government is sitting on Rs 40,000 crore of USO funds. It can surely utilise that to provide a free basic data package to people in India. Basic government services and emergency services should essentially be free.” Nilekani is also in favour of the government providing free internet to people. “The internet is a powerful poverty alleviation tool.... Government can do a direct benefit transfer for data, a more market-neutral way of achieving the goal of getting everyone on the internet,” he told <i>Outlook</i>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Legally, though, there may be issues in stopping FB from introducing its Free Basics platform in India. Says Singh, “Technically, the Indian government may not be able to stop FB from introducing Free Basics in India as it is just a platform. What the government has to do is to stop telcos from collaborating with it for free internet because Indian telcos, not FB, mediate access to the internet.”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The demand for the government and TRAI to come clean on net neutrality has reached fever pitch. Experts like Nilekani feel that net neutrality, which does not allow zero rating and differential pricing based on telcos looking at the contents of the subscriber’s data packets, should be enshrined in law through an act of Parliament, the way countries like the US have done. TRAI has also proposed two models where the internet is provided free initially and charged at a later stage and another where content providers and websites reimburse the cost of browsing directly to consumers. Both these proposals have not found favour with experts who say that these are unworkable and only the government should disburse free internet.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In any case, all this is a matter of detail—important, no doubt. The key question is, what happens to Free Basics if TRAI rules in favour of net neutrality and goes against FB? “This is going to be a long-drawn-out battle as FB will certainly challenge this in court,” says the government official. After spending Rs 300 crore on publicity, there is no way it will roll over and die.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/outlook-february-8-2016-arindam-mukherjee-a-megacorps-basic-instinct'>http://editors.cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/outlook-february-8-2016-arindam-mukherjee-a-megacorps-basic-instinct</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaSocial MediaTelecomFree BasicsTRAINet NeutralityFreedom of Speech and ExpressionInternet Governance2016-02-04T13:53:05ZNews ItemDelayed Cash Flows and NPAs
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-april-3-2019-shyam-ponappa-delayed-cash-flows-and-npas
<b>We need to rid ourselves of a tolerance of delayed payments to avoid their consequences.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article by Shyam Ponappa was published in <a class="external-link" href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/delayed-cash-flows-and-npas-119040301417_1.html">Business Standard</a> on April 3, 2019 and in <a class="external-link" href="https://organizing-india.blogspot.com/2019/04/delayed-cash-flows-and-npas.html">Organizing India Blogspot </a>on April 4, 2019.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Many of us in India become inured to a laxity in standards and to the implementation of laws. There may be good reasons for targeting one of these for a start, and that is delayed payments. These are broadly tolerated by citizens, farmers, corporates, small businesses, and government agencies. Perhaps this is because payment delays are merely one among several instances we encounter of mediocre standards, indifferent quality, or shoddy performance. Delayed payments are the inception of process flow problems that lead to non-performing assets (NPAs). Perhaps delays in cash flows are a fundamental flaw in our processes that we need to fix as a root cause that drives much else, to begin to address a gamut of inadequacies.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">To see why, consider delays in government payments. Central and state government payments are often delayed, apparently even more than in the private sector. Even government payments related to high priority IT systems, for instance, are notoriously delayed. Major IT companies complain of losing money on large projects for this reason. Nasscom estimated a couple of years ago that government dues to the IT industry could be more than Rs 5,000 crore.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Some factors that render domestic projects attractive to the IT industry are the large domestic IT market, projects of significant size from state and central governments, and slowing exports over the last several years. The disincentives, however, are lower margins, long lead times for government contracts, payment delays, and a history of disputed payments and litigation. Also, IT majors complain that government processes often don’t accommodate changes in the terms of contracts when there are changes in the scope of projects. This is why IT companies are averse to domestic government projects.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Quite apart from these opportunity costs, delayed payments create serious cash flow problems for the economy, with outstandings running typically for many months, and sometimes for years. While the instances above are about the IT industry, there are similar problems in other sectors as well. In the construction industry, for example, estimates of private contractors’ dues held up by delays including disputes range from Rs 1 trillion to Rs 3 trillion.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">While some bank NPAs undoubtedly result from fraud and malfeasance (which are outside the scope of this article), disruptions in cash flows in commercially sound projects can result in the creation of NPAs. This aspect has to be addressed as a precursor to stressed assets in resolving NPAs, as is evident in considering the problems of power generating companies.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">A Ministry of Power portal (http://www.praapti.in/) shows that overdue payments from electricity distributors to power generating companies at the end of January 2019 amounted to Rs 28,504 crore. Meanwhile, in the Supreme Court, 34 power generating companies with NPAs of Rs 1.4 trillion were battling an RI Circular of February 12, 2018, that consigned their entire investment of double the NPA amount (Rs 3 trillion) to bankruptcy proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). The reason was that their dues had not been resolved within the RBI-mandated 180 days by August 2018. The RBI insisted on bankruptcy as a time-bound consequence, regardless of the cause of default. By contrast, the Ministry of Power and the supplicants objected to the RBI Circular, attributing loan stress in several cases to factors beyond the borrowers’ control. These factors included reasons such as payment delays by state distributors, problems in the supply of coal, or in some cases, because consortiums of lenders were close to restructuring loans, whereas declaring bankruptcy would not resolve the underlying causes. A number of bankers suggested that the 180-day rule for bankruptcy in the RBI Circular was impractical. Major banks consider restructuring as the appropriate solution when defaults are caused by factors outside the borrowers’ control, such as delayed payments from state electricity boards or by government agencies, state government overdues, or major adverse changes such as the unexpected imposition of duties by supplier countries on coal.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Supreme Court quashed the RBI Circular of February 2018 on April 2, 2019. This will likely pave the way for more constructive outcomes for many of these projects, provided the RBI and the banks follow through with feasible restructuring. The alternative of selling stalled projects that were unworkable because of reasons such as there being no fuel supply or power purchase agreement, or overdue payments by customers (state or central agencies) were outstanding, if indeed buyers could be found, would hardly solve these problems. The projects would remain stalled or unproductive until the underlying inadequacies were made good, whether by providing fuel, power purchase agreements, collecting overdue payments, or enabling realistic tariffs to yield viable margins. Until these deficiencies are made good, the problems will remain.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Popular opinion, however, seems to favour “selling off bankrupt projects” regardless of extenuating circumstances, even when owners have no control over them, although selling them will not rectify the conditions that created the default. This approach of attempting to sell off projects to get rid of problems without addressing the underlying issues for otherwise sound projects is best abandoned. To be flip, it’s like an “Off with his head!” approach.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">What's needed</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Standards for on-time payments are the real requirement, with penalties, e.g., double the SBI rate, enforced strictly for non-performance. Central and state governments need to take the lead on this as an essential aspect of governance. These difficult steps will be a real bear, but are necessary if we are to eliminate NPAs. Is this a realistic expectation? As realistic as it is to expect to eliminate the resulting NPAs.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The RBI will need to provide regulatory oversight, instituting real-time monitoring and reporting systems, and taking prompt action as necessary. Properly designed and deployed, such systems would prevent one form of ever-greening of loans at inception. Separate systems for loan renewals could be designed and deployed to prevent other aspects of ever-greening. These coordinated steps could prevent good assets from turning into NPAs.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-april-3-2019-shyam-ponappa-delayed-cash-flows-and-npas'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-april-3-2019-shyam-ponappa-delayed-cash-flows-and-npas</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2019-04-28T04:36:39ZBlog EntryInputs for NTP 2011
http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/inputs-ntp-2011
<b>The Centre for Internet and Society wishes to commend the DoT on the draft of the New Telecom Policy and offers its suggestions to improve the draft with specific changes.</b>
<p>The new draft contains several noteworthy initiatives and goals such
as Delicensing additional frequency bands for public use, Network
sharing, spectrum sharing, pooling and trading , recognizing that
revenue generation is not the primary reason for licensing spectrum and
that auctions often result in inordinate delays, identifying the mobile
phone as a primary instrument for development and inclusion, Convergence
of broadcast, telecom and cable infrastructure, promotion of cloud
based technologies, Nationwide license, free roaming and one number,
promotion of fixed mobile convergence to free up spectrum, promoting
consumer interests by increasing choice and quality and addressing concerns of
privacy, data security, etc and placing emphasis on research and
development, awareness raising and capacity building.</p>
<p>We offer below suggestions to improve the draft with specific changes marked in bold print.</p>
<h2>Spectrum Management</h2>
<p>We endorse the approach to permit spectrum ‘pooling, sharing and
later, trading for optimal and efficient utilization of spectrum’ as
described in 4.1. In this regard, we would like to suggest that the
Government may consider mandatory spectrum sharing as is being done in
USA with respect to white spaces and digital dividends as a better
approach over licensing spectrum to a single operator and allowing
voluntary sharing since it could result in more dynamic and efficient
use of spectrum with access being authorized as per requirement from a central data base driven system.</p>
<h2>De-licensing additional spectrum</h2>
<p>We agree with the approach to prioritise identification of additional
frequency bands for license exempt use for the operation of low power
devices, as stated in section 4.6 of the National Telecom Policy 2011.
We also support the promotion of the use of technology such as Software
Defined Radios (SDRs) and Cognitive Radios (CRs) in white spaces, as
mention in section 4.9 of the NTP. These developments in the Indian
Telecom policy show promise for the deployment and spread of affordable technologies operating in de-licensed frequencies,
which will contribute to the bridging of the digital divide present in
India. We offer certain recommendations in this regard:</p>
<ol><li>WPC should have more unlicensed bands available for internet and
multimedia to fuelinnovation and efficient spectrum utilization.
Unlicensed bands need to be allocated inbigger chunks in various slots.</li><li>Frequencies
in the 5.15GHz-5.35GHz bands, as well as 5.725-5.825GHz bands are
delicensedfor indoor use only. These bands should be de-licensed for
outdoor use as well in order to facilitate the creation of wider
wireless communication networks and the use ofinnovative technologies.</li><li>Bands
for the use of DECT technologies have already been de-licensed in
Europe and theUnited states. The1800-1890MHz band, which is earmarked
for the operations of DECT based devices in India, should be de-licensed
for the use of low power cordless communication technologies in line
with international practices.</li><li>The 433-434 Mhz band should be unlicensed for data telemetry as it is done in many other countries.</li><li>Unutilized slots in between TV channels (white spaces) should be made available for unlicensed/Class license usage.</li></ol>
<h2>Licensing, Convergence and Value Added Services</h2>
<p>
With respect to allowing the sharing of network mentioned in 3.6, we
would like to propose a similar model as suggested for spectrum sharing,
which is more along the lines of Singapore or Australia’s NGN, with the
network(s) being run by public private partnership (PPP) consortiums,
but led by a private operator.</p>
<h2>Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities</h2>
<p>
Persons with disabilities should be mentioned specifically within the
policy and steps should be taken to enable access to telecommunications
facilities for them. These would include steps like formulating a Code
of good practice for manufacturers and service providers, identifying
accessibility standards in different areas, investing in R&D in
accessible technologies, setting up a nationwide emergency and relay
service, mandating broadcast accessibility to ensure that set-top boxes are accessible and that at least 50 per cent of all TV
programmes are captioned, carrying out regular surveys to gather
statistics on use of telecommunications services by persons with
disabilities, etc.</p>
<h2>Specific recommendations</h2>
<h3>Mission</h3>
<em>(To be modified to read as)</em>
<p>1. To develop a robust, secure state-of-the-art telecommunication
network providing seamless coverage with special focus on rural and
remote areas and bridging digital divide amongst disadvantaged persons, including persons with disabilities.</p>
<h3> Objectives</h3>
<em>(To be modified to read as)</em>
<p>28. Protect consumer interest by promoting informed consent,
transparency, accountability and accessibility in quality of service,
tariff, usage etc.
36. Put in place an accessible web based, real time e-governance
solution to support online submission of applications for all services
of DoT and issuance of licences and clearances from DoT.</p>
<h3>Universal Service Obligation Fund</h3>
<p>
To include ‘Persons with Disabilities, elderly and illiterate persons’
specifically as a category of beneficiaries within the charter of the
fund. Telecom infrastructure/ row issues, green telecom, clear skyline,<br /><em>(Point to be modified to read as)</em><br />5.13. To prescribe sectoral Standard Operating Procedures for
effective and early mitigation during disasters and emergencies. To
mandate Telecom Service Providers to provide alternative accessible
reliable means of communication at the time of disaster by creating
appropriate regulatory framework.
5.15. To facilitate an institutional framework to establish nationwide
Unified Emergency Response Mechanism by providing nationwide single
access number for emergency services and to ensure that the same are also accessible to persons with disabilities.</p>
<h2>Broadband and universal service</h2>
<p>
Given that the uptake of broadband has been rather slow in comparison
with mobile phones, a useful step to scaling up broadband penetration
and providing ubiquitous broadband services could be to identify
broadband as an ‘essential service’ under the Essential Services
Maintenance Act, 1981. This could be recognized as an objective in the
policy and will help to ensure provision of affordable and reliable
provision of broadband.</p>
<h2>Specific recommendation</h2>
<em>(Point to be modified to read as)</em>
<p> 3. Recognize broadband as an ‘essential service’ under the Essential
Services Maintenance Act and provide affordable and reliable broadband
on demand by the year
2015 and to achieve 175 million broadband connections by the year 2017
and 600 million by the year 2020 at minimum 2 Mbps download speed as
well as making available higher speeds of at least 100 Mbps on demand.</p>
<h2>Multi stakeholder approach</h2>
<p>
All activities such as setting up a council under 2.3, advisory groups
in 2.4, 2.10, etc should necessarily include participation from civil
society to ensure a balanced representation of the public interest
perspective.</p>
<h2>Specific recommendations</h2>
<em>(Points to be modified to read as)</em>
<p>2.3. To set up a council consisting of experts from Telecom Service
Providers, Telecom Manufacturing Industry, Government, civil society,</p>
<h3> Academia and R&D institutions.</h3>
<p>2.4. To promote synergy of academia, R&D centres, manufacturers, service providers, civil society, consumer groups and
other stakeholders for achieving collaboration and reorientation of
their efforts for creation of IPRs, development and deployment of new
products and services suited to Indian environment.</p>
<h2>Implementation and monitoring</h2>
<p>
While the policy identifies several laudable objectives and initiatives,
there is little indication as to time lines and mechanisms for
enforcement with measurable indicators. It would be useful to clearly
specify these to ensure smooth and effective implementation of the
policy.</p>
<h2>Protection of consumer interests</h2>
<p>
Any initiatives taken in this regard, such as formulation of a Code etc,
must necessarily involve consumers. The policy also needs to recognize
that special effort is required to ensure that information is made
available to consumers and more steps are taken towards consumer
outreach. This also includes making web sites more user friendly and
accessible to consumers. At present even the web sites of the DoT, USOF,
and TRAI etc are extremely inaccessible.</p>
<h2>Regulation</h2>
<p>
While it is important to create a conducive regulatory framework for
India’s development agenda, we would nevertheless like to caution
against over regulation, especially in cases where market forces
themselves take care of the situation. It is best to have a light handed
approach based on need. It is also suggested that a review of the TRAI
act as proposed under 12.1 could result in vesting the sector regulator
with greater autonomy and independence.</p>
<h2>Specific recommendation</h2>
<em>(Point to be modified to read as)<br />
</em>
12.1. To review the TRAI Act with a view to addressing regulatory
inadequacies/impediments in effective discharge of its functions <strong>and strengthening it by increasing its autonomy.
</strong>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/inputs-ntp-2011'>http://editors.cis-india.org/telecom/inputs-ntp-2011</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaTelecomAccessibility2012-01-02T05:07:57ZBlog Entry