Even though the technology in the communications sector has advanced at a rapid pace in the last one-and-a-half decades, clauses in permits issued to ISPs and NSPs have not been updated, preventing the telecom sector regulator from launching effective monitoring campaigns, while increasing complexities for ISPs and NSPs in delivering services as per the growing demand of the public.
“We’ll review licensing conditions for ISPs and NSPs in the initial phase,” said Kailash Prasad Neupane, spokesperson for the NTA. He added that discussions regarding the possible conditions to be included were going on with the stakeholders.
After amendments to the conditions for ISPs and NSPs, the NTA plans to study relevance of licence conditions for telecom companies. The telecom regular officials said that the conditions put in licence of ISP during early days of emergence of dial up internet service had now become obsolete due to new data services emerging and increased service coverage areas.
As per existing licence conditions, an ISP is not permitted to distribute data service having speed of 1Mbps to more than 30 customers. However, with emergence of wireless and broadband services, now even a single customer is using internet with 1Mbps speed.
The revision to licence conditions is also expected to make NTA monitoring easy and effective. Telecommunication Act 1997 mandates the NTA licencees to work as per set conditions or face penalty of Rs 500,000. Based on the Act, NTA can also scrap the permit for failure to comply with licence conditions.
According to Binay Bohara, president of Internet Service Providers Association of Nepal (ISPAN), since it might take a long time for the government to address their concerns through a separate policy, it must first make amendments to licence conditions, which are as old as 15 years. He said that an ISPAN committee will also present recommendations to the NTA within a week.
Through the amendment, the NTA plans to make ISPs sign contract with owner of cybercafés to maintain log of internet users compulsorily for security reasons. Similarly, it will clearly define the roles of ISPs and NSPs. Last week, the NTA had also held discussions with ISPs and NSPs regarding their licence conditions and obstacles.
During the meeting, they had demanded that the government make changes in conditions as per the changing time and technology. They have requested the government to reduce the royalty fee from the current four per cent of the annual income, bring wireless policy addressing issue of data services and come up with a rule that will help ISPs utilise resources available in the Rural Telecommunication Development Fund. - See more at: http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=NTA+to+revise+terms+in+permits+for+ISPs%E2%80%9A+NSPs&NewsID=413843#sthash.g0MXRLiP.dpuf
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