As a part of our ongoing series on the Draft National Telecom Policy 2011 (NTP 2011), we now look at the policy recommendations around content and services. 13 days are left for you to recommend changes to the NTP-2011, so please do submit your responses here. Our previous posts focused on NTP 2011 and broadband and a very important change around the licensing framework which could unshackle the content and services ecosystem, by separating content and services from carriage. Key content and services related provisions: - Consumer Protection: "To undertake legislative measures to bring disputes between telecom consumers and service providers within the jurisdiction of Consumer Forums/ Consumer Protection Act." Our Take: A much needed change, since false billing is pervasive in the Indian market. Frankly, is the Consumer Forum is a position to handle the volume of complaints? - Vernacular Content Creation: Much needed policy change, but one has to wonder how the government will actually "To stimulate the demand of broadband applications and services, work closely with Department of IT in the promotion of content creation particularly in vernacular languages which would enhance the investment in All-Internet Protocol (IP) networks including NGN." Our take: As we've said before, more Indic language content needs to be digitized and distributed, but above all, there needs to be work on content creation tools. There is no clarity on what what the DIT will do to enhance content creation, or for that matter, if it can actually do something. - Value Added Services Focus: "To…
