Vodafone moves court for transparent IUC consultations by Trai
Source – economictimes.indiatimes.com
NEW DELHI: Vodafone has again dragged the telecom regulator to court, this time calling for greater transparency in its consultation process on the contentious interconnect usage charge (IUC).
According to people aware of the matter, the UK-headquartered carrier has filed a fresh petition in the Delhi High Court against the consultation paper on IUC issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in August 2016, which is still being discussed among stakeholders.
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“It’s a transparency petition… since it is incumbent upon the regulator to share cost models with all the stakeholders, in its consultation process, which they have not done, despite repeated requests,” said a legal executive who has seen the petition.
“Since they haven’t shared the cost model, it is violation of principles of natural justice… It is also violating Section 11 (4) of the Trai Act, which provides that in carrying out functions of Trai, it must do so transparently,” the person, who did not wish to be named, said. The matter is set for a Friday hearing.
Section 11 (4) of the Trai Act, 1997, states that “the Authority shall ensure transparency while exercising its powers and discharging its functions”.
Vodafone India has taken the ground of transparency, after the Supreme Court had struck down a Trai regulation that made it mandatory for telcos to compensate subscribers for call drops, holding it as “arbitrary, unreasonable and non-transparent“.
The latest petition from Vodafone is the second such case on IUC that the telco has filed against Trai. The first instance was in November 2015, when Vodafone challenged Trai’s move to reduce IUC to 14 paise per minute from 20.
Vodafone has also previously moved court against Trai, challenging its recommendation to the government to levy a Rs 1,050-crore penalty on the carrier for allegedly not providing adequate points of interconnect to Jio.
Trai has held discussions on the latest IUC consultation paper, including a special workshop on the costing model each telco has, and an open house discussion. It has said it will give its recommendations soon.
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