Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Blatant discrimination

Sir, — The new telecom tariff proposed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority is blatantly discriminatory against the common man who uses the landline phone, and intended to compel him to change over to cellular phone, which is meant for the affluent.

The drastic increase proposed in local call rates, rentals etc., coupled with the reduction in the number of free calls, will substantially increase the monthly bill of the middle class users. After considerably reducing the STD/ISD and mobile rates, increasing the landline rates is unjustifiable and meant to benefit the cell phone companies and their users.

The powerful cellular phone lobby has succeeded again in extracting another concession.

Earlier, these companies gained by forcing the Government to change from a license fee regime to revenue-sharing regime, in violation of their original contract conditions. Now, the cell phone is being made more attractive by increasing the landline rates.

G. Radhakrishnan,

Thiruvananthapuram

* * *

Sir, — Increasing the telephone tariff at a time when mobile phone operators are slashing their rates is tantamount to pushing the subscribers into the fold of the private operator. The reason is obvious.

Even against odds such as overstaffing and unnecessary establishment expenses, the telephone department makes profit. So what is the need to hike tariff?

Expansion of telephone lines, air or land, is meaningless, if it is not for according facilities but for laying a trap to fleece the hapless subscribers. The Government is indulging in excesses and it must go.

J. N. Bhartiya,

Lucknow

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