The Government of India has approved the scheme for creation of the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) to provide Broadband connectivity to 2.5 lakh village Panchayats (councils). Milind Deora, the Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology, stated in a written reply to the Lok Sabha that to materialize this program, the government intends to extend the existing optical fiber network to Panchayats by utilizing the Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF). He said that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) named, Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), has already been incorporated on 25th February 2012 to execute the project. The project rollout is yet to start but it is expected to be completed in 2 years. Pilot programs were being conducted in Paravada block of Vishakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh, Arian block of Ajmer district in Rajasthan and Panisagar block of North Tripura district in Tripura, and about Rs. 15 crore has been spent on the pilot project under USOF scheme, he informed. Previously, the Uttar Pradesh government had implemented the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project, under which all village Panchayats (councils) in the state were linked with broadband connectivity, as reported by Firstpost. Essentially the objective of the program is to provide broadband connectivity to 2.5 lakh panchayats across the country to enable the government implement various e-governance initiatives. It's interesting to note that the government is trying to recognize the Right to Broadband act with wire-line connections. While telecom players in private sectors are focusing wireless broadband, the wireline connections are making a come back. K Srinivas, President of Bharti…
