Indian ISP policy Updates

Thease are not the policy updates . Just a compilation of things to come . The vision of Govt. Of India and the task force of Information Technology.

INTERNET access nodes will be opened by DoT and authorised ISPs at all District Headquarters and local charging areas by 26th January 2000. As an interim measure, and till nodes are provided in all local charging areas, access to nearest INTERNET access nodes will be on local call rates, progressively with effect from 15th August 1998. ISPs will be responsible for ensuring that this facility is not misused for telephone traffic.
Intelligent Network (IN) Services including free phone and premium Service (e.g. 1-800 and 1-900) shall be introduced by DoT by 31 December 1998 in several cities.
For setting up ISP Operations by companies, there shall be no license fee for the first five years and after five years a nominal license fee of one rupee will be charged.
The monopoly of the VSNL on International Gateway for INTERNET shall be withdrawn and authorised public/government organisations will be allowed to provide INTERNET Gateway access including international leased circuits directly without going through VSNL Gateways. Private ISPs are allowed to provide such Gateways after obtaining Security clearances for which the Interface of Private ISPs shall only be with DOT, which will set up a mechanism for obtaining security clearance from different security agencies.
It should be made free for the Railways, State Electricity Boards and National Power Grid Corporation, to lease the excess/spare capacity for data transmission to DOT or licenses of DOT for the basic as well as value added services or to any other users including Internet Service Providers in conformity with the license conditions, where applicable.
Providing access to INTERNET through authorised Cable TV shall be permitted to any service provider without additional licensing subject to applicable Cable Laws.
The 'last mile' linkages shall be freely permitted either by fibre optic or radio communication for IT application enterprises, IT promotional organisations and ISPs. In case of radio linkages, coordination by the Wireless Adviser will be observed to avoid frequency interference.
The radio frequency band in the range of 2.400 - 2.4835 GHz is open for exploitation for last mile connectivity as per published siting criterion followed by SACFA by any government organisation or PSU or Private Sector Company to set up Spread Spectrum based non-interface type Wireless equipment subject to a maximum of 4 Watt EIRP and a maximum channel spread of 10 MHz. WPC will periodically issue a district-wise directory of two or three selected bands of 10 MHz each for each of the districts on the criteria of least congestion. The use of the band is on the basis of non-interference, non-protection and non-exclusiveness; Private Sector, Public Sector and Government operators shall apply to DOT and obtain registration and licence from WPC. DOT will set up an internal mechanism to obtain security clearance, which would be obtained in a maximum period of 45 days. The operators would provide such facilities as are stipulated for monitoring purposes. WPC would be empowered to monitor the violation of conditions stipulated and impose penalties on defaulters in three stages: Written warning, monetary penalty and debarring for two years. Technical Audit Unit comprising a representative each from the Defence, DOT, DOE, NIC and from NASSCOM for the limited purpose of representing private user interests), and chaired by the Secretary, DOT shall monitor the implementation of the above policy.
Data communication requirements for Electronic Commerce(EC/EDI) shall be met by DoT in a liberal framework by assigning the highest priority under their priority classification if the EC/EDI requirement is certified by authorities in Government authorised by the Ministry of Commerce.
Public TeleInfo Centres (PTIC) having multimedia capability specially ISDN Services, Remote Database Access, Government and Community Information systems, Market Information, Desk Top Videoconferencing, TeleInfo and INTERNET/Web Access Services shall be permitted and encouraged by the Government. DoT and other Basic Service Providers, Value Added Service Providers and authorised IT promotional organisations shall be permitted to promote these services on non-exclusive basis. No license fee will be charged for operating these services and the usual tariff, where applicable, will be payable by the PTIC Service providers/franchisees. Efforts will be made by DoT and other Service Providers to upgrade STD/ISD PCOs to convert them into these powerful PTICs for which ISDN or other digital facilities shall be provided on priority without necessarily having to make additional investment on this account.
Customs duty on import of CD-ROMs or Optical Disc Media or Magnetic Media containing text , data or multimedia as content shall be charged only on the media and not on the contents.
IT Software and IT Services companies, being constituents of the knowledge industry, shall be exempted from inspection by Inspectors like those for Factory, Boiler, Excise, Labour, Pollution/Environment etc.,
For any investment made in IT products and IT software 100 % depreciation shall be allowed in two years for which Ministry of Finance shall take suitable action.
f.Use of International Credit Cards (ICC) abroad for a variety of purposes required by the IT Software and IT Services sector shall be permitted, the detailing of which will be carried out by RBI and notified by 15 August 1998, in particular:
1.All payments currently made under Exchange Earnings Foreign Currency (EEFC) Account shall also be allowed to made through International Credit Cards (ICC). Advance payment for IT software and IT services shall be permitted to be done through ICC for which RBI will issue a notification. Notification shall be issued that ICC may also be used for paying for IT Software and IT services purchased over INTERNET or EXTRANET and also for registering domain names.
Returns from package software development shall be increased by enabling Indian Marketing companies to set up wholesale companies abroad. They shall also be given maximum flexibility in organising the marketing of package software from India through INTERNET.
1.'Mega Web sites' shall be created on INTERNET for promoting marketing and encouraging Indian Software products and packages under multiple initiatives. 2.Creation and hosting of websites on servers located in India will be encouraged.
The Government shall soon launch three schemes -- Vidyarthi Computer Scheme, Shikshak Computer Scheme and School Computer Scheme -- to enable students, teachers or schools respectively desirous of buying computers to do so under attractive financial packages. These schemes will be supported by a suite of initiatives such as lowering the cost of PCs, easy-instalment bank loans, computer donations by IT companies and other business houses, bulk donations of computers by NRI organisations, large-volume bargain price imports, multi-lateral funding, etc.
Computers and Internet shall be made accessible to schools, polytechnics, colleges, and public hospitals in the country by the year 2003.
All universities, engineering colleges, medical colleges and other institutions of higher learning in the country as well as Research and Development Organisations shall be networked for a supplementary programme of distance education for improving the quality of education before year 2000.
A pilot project shall be launched in some lead districts which have already attained universal literacy, with the aim of achieving universal computer literacy in all the secondary schools in these districts. Alongside, the network of educational institutions in these districts will be assisted to maximise the induction of IT in order to create world-class talent at the top-end of the education pyramid. These pilot projects will be joint initiatives of the local educational institutions, respective State Governments and the Centre. In the first instance, such a pilot project will be launched in Dakshin Kannada and Udupi Districts in Karnataka on a substantive self-financing basis. Within a short time, the same will be extended to suitable districts in other States.
Government shall encourage the setting up of value-added network services including ATMs, Electronic Kiosks, Telephones, Smart Cards, etc., for providing a 'One-Stop Non-Stop' service to the public.
The Government shall take all the necessary steps to boost IT for agricultural and integrated rural development. Towards this end, a number of demonstration projects will be devised in each State taking into account the specific strengths and needs at the local level. A unique 'WIRED VILLAGES' pilot project has been launched at the Warananagar Cooperative Complex in Kolhapur District in Maharashtra. Efforts will be made to quickly replicate such projects in other states.
The Government shall take necessary measures to develop, productivise and use, in domestic and global markets, indigenous technologies in wireless telecommunication to achieve the national objective of rapid, low-cost expansion of telephone and Internet connectivity in rural and remote areas. Similarly, promotional measures shall be taken to encourage technologies that bring IT and Internet to the masses through the vast network of Cable TV houses.
A Citizens Charter for effective and responsive administration in terms of time-bound service to the public shall be framed and implemented under the coordination of the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances and hoisted on the official INTERNET Web Site 'India Image' of the Government of India. The DOP & T shall examine all the issues relating to citizen-IT interface.
Each Department/Agency in the Central Government and State Governments shall be required to prepare a Five Year IT Plan.
1-3% of the budget of every Ministry/Department shall be earmarked for applying IT in the Department/sector; this investment will include not only the purchase of IT products, IT Software, but also for training and IT services; Reappropriation of the Department's budget for the IT sub-budget head shall be within the delegated powers of the Head of the Department.
NIC, at the national level, and technology service organisations at the State level, shall establish 'Framework Contracts', on a non-exclusive basis, with reputed suppliers to provide a wide range of IT consultancy, specialist services and IT products to Government agencies to reach the benefit of lower costs through bulk purchases.
An Information Security Agency shall be set up at the National level to play the role of Cyber Cop. On security related issues an Inter-Ministerial Committee shall be set up consisting of the representatives of DOT, Cabinet Secretariat, MHA, MOD,DOE and NIC and representatives from NASSCOM to look into the technical aspects of monitoring of communications in this sector(including Internet) to enable the setting up of the monitoring infrastructure(which in many cases would have to be funded by the ISPs) and incorporation of suitable clauses in the licence agreements.
The Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, the Indian Post Office Act of 1888 and the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1993 shall be suitably modified in the light of the growing predominance of IT in day-to-day life. Suitable changes will also be made in other Laws/Acts, wherever necessary.
.The draft set of Cyber Laws prepared by the Cyber Law Committee set up by the Committee of Secretaries, shall be approved by the Government with suitable modifications and implemented, as a first step, within six months.

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