I challenge Mr. Vijay Rao!!

[vamsi@siliconcorp.com]

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[Topics under debate]: GOOD GOVERNANCE
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    I would also like an opportunity to correct Vijay!  My message is embedded
below.

vijay rao wrote:

> It is interesting to read a viewpoint on telecom policy. I would like to
>
> correct a few perceptions on Vamsi's argument.
> 1. India does not have the purchase capacity to even have two
> competitors to
> exist - as has been observed in Cellular, Paging etc... So the solution
> of
> allowing more competition and solving the problem is unfeasible. Infact,
> the
> problem is that the market is not being stimulated even though the
> Indian
> operators are giving the lowest prices in the world.

    How wrong you are my friend.  It is true that the purchase power is
limited but my argument has been to provide more services for the same
purchase power.  And also to improve the quality of those services.  Indian
Telecom prices are NOT the lowest in the world!!  This is incorrect
information being spread on an open forum.  Is the poor man on the street able
to afford a long-distance call from Hyderabad to Delhi?  Whether he needs to
call or not is not up to our arrogance to decide!  However, what would happen
if we do away with license fees altogether.  Ah, we would invite every
supplier who is interested in providing services and to finish of the cake, we
will leave it up to the market forces to allow only those who are capable of
good service to survive.  The argument should never be that we should support
innefficient and abusive monopolies because there isn't enough purchase
power.  Instead, we should try to cast a wider net and use the mechanism of
competition to bring down the prices and improve the quality of services -
naturally, of course.  Limited purchase power doesn't mean that a monopoly
supplier has the right to rob the public of quality services!!  I fail to
follow your logic here.  Why would you not want competition to bring the
prices down further and also improve quality even when the purchase power is
limited?  Please kindly reply!

> 2. The government is genuinely looking for answers and a way out,
> lobbies
> notwithstanding. How does it politically, economically and rationally
> overlook the voluntary bidding by the biggest MNCs (who know the
> telecom)
> and the largest Indian houses (who know India) and change the terms of
>

    I am afraid the GoI is a bigger evil than the MNCs.  Let me explain: what
if we were to allow a lot of MNCs, in fact all of them, to come into the
Indian market and compete fiercely (beat their brains out)?  Ok, we will even
throw in the "no license fees" bone to these dogs.  Here they come wagging
their tails.....  Now, let us think of the benefits: how many Indians would
these MNCs employ?  How much the GoI would gain from Income Tax of these newly
created jobs which it can use for Military Defense?  How rapidly our Telecom
infrastructure would expand and this expansion itself would create more
jobs!!  How much our quality of life would improve because then, we wouldn't
have a rogue instituion like DoT but 100s of companies begging for our
hard-earned money.  And of course, that poor man on the street, sure he can
make a call to New Delhi because even he has a job now!

    Do we not realize that we are taking away jobs and prosperity from fellow
Indians?  What possible justification can we provide for this?

> On the other hand, there is a despirate need for telecom. DOT, without a
>
> question of doubt, has been misusing, is misusing and will continue to
> misuse their advantage for small shortsighted gains. There is absolutely
> no
> vision of the larger perspective of what telecom can do for the nation's
>
> economy. So, what the country cannot do is to remain a silent spectator
> to
> the country missing another international opportunity of being a major
> player.
>
> The answer lies in finding a rational solution. In my paper " An
> approach to
> the Telecom Policy" I had developed a data based argument on the
> possible
> approaches. Will be happy to share with those who are interested.
>

    YES, YES, please throw me the bone right away......I am salivating.  I
accept the challenge to debate you on this forum about your magnificent
paper!!

>
> WHAT WE NEED TODAY IS A SERIOUS DISCUSSION OF THE DIFFERENT FACETS OF
> THE
> PROBLEM AND ARRIVE AT A WELL RESEARCHED WELL DEBATED POSITION PAPER.
> HOWEVER, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR LOBBIESTS OR EMOTIONS. IF YOU ARE
> INTERESTED
> TO DEBATE THIS, I WILL BE HAPPY TO TABLE THE DISCUSSION ON THIS ISSUE.
>

    I read you loud and clear.  LET THE DEBATE ON YOUR PAPER BEGIN!!

> I believe, the forum must debate this in earnestness. This forum forms
> an
> excellent platfrom to have a debate on this as its members, atleast some
>
> othem, I notice do this after much research. The issues involved are
> very
> strategic, very critical and very difficult. It is fashionable to
> rundown
> the government and find fault with it. But it truely deserves a
> discussion
> better than gut feels and intellectual unfounded remarks.
>

    Oh, comon now.  The debate hasn't even started and you are already taking
pot-shots at me (ouch)!  Take it easy on me, will ya.  I am just a rookie :-)

Sincerely,
Vamsi M.


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