Internet
Access –not
free but cheap at least ?
24.7.2106. Jubilation everywhere. Everyone is busy with a notebook-like gadget. India got freedom (another) and so people are happy and celebrating. Yes India got free
Internet access. Thud..Aah.. with a hit on my head, I was about to fall when my friend tried to transact a pothole on his scooter. Well if I dream like this while traveling on the beautiful roads of Pune in Maharashtra, India, what else can happen ? No doubt President Abdul Kalam asked us to dream but not on the roads, that too not on the beautiful roads of Pune, hugh…
Times of India (24.7.2006) in its report ‘Surfing in the park’ says that wireless internet is available in
public parks aboard, so when will it hit India ? I do not know whether the paper meant wireless internet in Indian parks or free internet access since the present development in New York is an expansion of the existing facility there as per the report. Anyway
let us mean both.
By publishing the report Times of India has increased our anger manifold and made us jealous of our New York brethren. I wish that in India let us not get free internet but at least let us strive for internet access at cheaper rates. I think that may be possible if associations if any like Indian Internet Users Association take up the issue with appropriate authorities. At present, BSNL, the Internet
Service Provider, is virtually fleecing the public with multiple charges like
broadband rent, modem rent (broad band) and usage charges. On top of this a further charge of service tax and a education cess is charged on it. I think no other country in the world would be charging so heavily. With their tom toming of the broadband service a few months ago at Rs.250/- per month I very eagerly and happily got a broadband connection, thinking that all my woes with the dial up connection were over and I can enjoy surfing the net without any time limit. Alas! It was not to be ! I was shocked to see my telephone bill ! Yes you guessed it correct. BSNL has charged separately for usage hours. When they tom tomed so much about broadband at Rs.250/- per month, it gave an impression that like cable television in India we can surf the net for any number of hours for a definite sum of money every month. But I was proved wrong. Later on I realized that Rs.250/- is only for the fast downloading and that for usage hours we have to pay separately.
I do not know how many middle class Indians are agreeable to this sort of pricing by BSNL. The problem with BSNL as with any other public service organization in India is that, this aspect is not clearly explained anywhere and I wonder how those who are accessing net (at least the Indian middle class) are not protesting the way of charging nor do anything to get internet access at cheaper rates.
In India. let us not get free internet access – that will take another 100 years for us to achieve – let us at least get it at cheaper rates. That is more than sufficient. But can anyone do anything in this direction ?
Councilwoman Gale A Brewer of Manhattan , has said that internet access should be viewed as a public service and the city’s effort to derive revenue from it was an error. Of course, that may be applicable only for New York. We are Indians ! Will be Indians only ! right !
Are Mumbai’s administrators listening ? asks Times of India. Any answers ?
More reviews about the Times of India