COAI urges TRAI to consider online open house discussion on "pressing" floor price issue

As businesses turn to virtual alternates amid the coronavirus outbreak, COAI has suggested that telecom sector regulator TRAI could consider the suitability of holding its customary open house discussion online to resolve the "pressing" floor price issue.

Sources close to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), however, felt that such a solution may not be practical given that an issue as important as floor price of tariffs, needs to be widely-debated especially with consumer participation at an appropriate time, and not be turned into a hurried and limited exercise.

In any case, the comments and counter comments on the said consultation paper have closed only recently and TRAI will study the responses over the next few days, they said.

Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) Director General, Rajan Mathews told PTI that since the responses have already come in, an open house through online mechanisms could be explored by TRAI.

"The bulk of responses have already come in through written comments, and additional inputs, if any, can be given via suitable alternates like an online or electronic open house forum, in case TRAI wants. Floor price is a pressing need of the industry," Mathews said.

Mathews, however pointed out that this was a call for TRAI to take after considering various factors like extent of online accessibility for stakeholders including the general public.

When contacted, TRAI Secretary SK Gupta said any suggestion of telecom service providers to do open house on electronic medium "needs to be analysed considering the provisions of transparency in TRAI Act."