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A Connected World
Getting Regulation Right in a Global Digital World:
Universal service, Competition, Consumer Protection, Competition, Ethics and Privacy have become even more significant given that Digital Technologies increasingly underlie the economic, social and political aspects of our lives. Artificial intelligence and the Metaverse are here to stay and Singularity is probably not as far as we may imagine. The global nature of these issues calls for international collaboration, cooperation and judicious regulation. This blog discusses these contemporary issues from the author’s multi-speciality perspective and offers unique and thought-provoking insights.
Sep 19, 2013
More about USOF India’s Device Subsidy Scheme
The Economics Times today reports that the Telecom Commission of India has approved a Rs 50 billion scheme to provide subsidised mobile...
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Sep 18, 2013
Simple Solutions
An article titled “ Mexico sees its first village cellphone network ” on New Europe online caught my attention. It tells us about a...
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Sep 12, 2013
Reactions to USOF India’s Device Subsidy Schemes & the Confusion over Universal Service Funding
I had written earlier about USOF ‘s intended Mobile handset Scheme . While phones for voice alone may be unavailable to relatively few in...
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Sep 8, 2013
The Oldest Item in the US Basket-Still Indispensable
An article in the Times of India on 8.9.13 titles “As PCOs hang up, distress calls drop” highlights the importance of public calling...
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Sep 7, 2013
Mapping Broadband Availability-CAF
Detailed mapping to establish market failure before universal service/state funding is resorted to is a wise step which is economical and...
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Sep 5, 2013
Namibia’s Progress in Telecommunications Regulation
The Communication Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) is following the footsteps of communications regulators across the world in...
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Sep 3, 2013
South Africa’s Plans for a National Broadband Plan
It has been reported that at a recent industry event with the theme of “Broadband – A Catalyst for Sustainable Economic Development and...
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Sep 3, 2013
News for USOF India
Apart from its Scheme for its scheme for subsidised Mobile Phones and tablets, USOF India has been in the news lately on two counts....
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Aug 31, 2013
ICTs for Indian farmers
A 2009 Deloitte Assocham Report on mobile VAS as a means of inclusion speaks about the sheer enormity of the problem of reaching out to...
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Mar 14, 2013
ITU/UN Mission 2012
Served as ITU expert on an ITU Mission on Human Capacity Building for Digital Inclusion (Universal Service Policy and Programme on Access...
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Mar 7, 2013
Innovative Use of Public Private Partnership to Fund Bottom Up Projects: The Case of Sanchar Shakti – Indian Universal Service Obligation Fund’s Scheme for Mobile Value Added Services for Rural Women
Selected for 2013 Innovation in Public Finance (IPF) International Conference, Milan, June 17-19, 2013 DOWNLOADS: 78 ABSTRACT VIEWS: 553...
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May 17, 2012
Pilot Project Scheme for Mobile VAS & Livelihood Related ICT Skills for Rural Women’s SHGs
Sanchar Shakti-ICTs for Rural Women’s SHGs, Presentation on World Telecommunications & Information Society Day, 17 May 2012 at the...
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Mar 6, 2012
Evaluation of Government Programmes
Presentation at the Workshop on Impact Assessment of USOF Schemes, March 2012 DOWNLOADS: 33 ABSTRACT VIEWS: 382 Abstract This...
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Dec 5, 2011
Universal Service Obligation Fund, India’s Pilot Project Scheme for Access to ICTs and ICT Enabled Services for Persons with Disabilities in Rural India
FCC HQ, M-Enabling Summit, December 2011 DOWNLOADS: 32 ABSTRACT VIEWS: 300 Abstract This presentation outlines the raison d’etre for USOF...
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Mar 7, 2011
Sanchar Shakti: enabling inclusive ICTs
Sanchar Shakti is a pilot project scheme for mobile VAS and livelihood related ICT skills for rural women;s SHGs.
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Mar 7, 2011
Sanchar Shakti: DOT-USOF Pilot Scheme
“Sanchar Shakti” is a programme of pilot projects aimed at facilitating women Self Help Group (SHG) members with the access to ICT...
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May 13, 2010
Retaining the Focus on Rural Development sans Wasteful Subsidy Outflows
Kurukshetra, Vol. 58, May 2010 DOWNLOADS: 77 ABSTRACT VIEWS: 449 Abstract In India, huge amounts of precious funds have been wasted in...
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Jan 1, 2010
Monitoring for Effective Service Delivery – The Case of USO Funded Schemes
Kurukshetra, Vol. 58, No. 3, January 2010 DOWNLOADS: 51 ABSTRACT VIEWS: 409 Abstract Effective monitoring of rural development schemes...
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Jan 1, 2010
Universal Service Policy in India – Theory and Practice
Management in Government, Vol. 41, No. 4, January-March 2010 DOWNLOADS: 88 ABSTRACT VIEWS: 501 Abstract The Universal Service Support...
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Oct 20, 2009
Unleashing Rural India’s Economic Potential – The Role of ICT
Rural Development, Vol. 57, No. 12, October 2009 DOWNLOADS: 281 ABSTRACT VIEWS: 1,378 Abstract As on March 2009, rural teledensity in...
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Oct 25, 2024
Universalising Digital Transformation by Safeguarding Digital Rights-Teaching Bright Minds at the Law Institute Nirma University, Ahmedabad
My focus when teaching digital regulation and digital transformation is always on trust and consumer-centric design. I thoroughly enjoyed...
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Oct 2, 2024
AI and Liberty, A Topic Less Tantalizing
Kahlil Gibran is credited with saying, "Life without liberty is like a body without spirit." My question is, what will human existence be...
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Aug 24, 2024
No (,) End (to) Spam and Scams
In the past few months, I have received countless spam calls and messages to the point that I have become robotic about disconnecting...
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Jun 20, 2024
AI and Human Creative Content: Plaigirism and Petty Theft
An article in today’s Economic Times draws attention to the problem of Artificial intelligence-related plagiarism. I was happy to read...
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Jun 19, 2024
Responsible AI and Applications in Higher Education
I recently moderated a panel AI in Higher Education on June 15, 2024 . It was interesting and informative and the panel was brilliant....
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May 13, 2024
Barbie or Ken, No Perfect Ten- For my Students
Are we Going Backwards? It was disturbing to read the recent Economist article about the hardening of conservative and chauvinistic...
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May 9, 2024
The Writing on The Wall-When Consumers Can Choose, They Do
Getting Regulation Right Recently, I spoke in an International Telecommunications Union expert panel on Data Protection in a joint...
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Apr 3, 2024
Tech Regulation and E-Commerce are Interrelated
Getting Regulation Right: E-commerce means that there is even more at stake for the consumer. E-Commerce and the Digital Consumer Having...
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Mar 16, 2024
The Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin of Digital Regulation?
Getting Regulation Right: Regulating AI Harry Potter struggled between Gryffindor and Slytherin before choosing.However, to get...
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Nov 25, 2023
Should AI Governance be Another Race to Dominate, or Should We Work Together to Safeguard Humanity?
AI Governance, Trust and Humanity. Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. Social media is rife with helpful content about how we must...
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Oct 8, 2023
Don’t Kill the Golden Goose; or Is This About Saving Red Riding Hood?
The Competition and Innovation Story : Part I An oft-asked question that has cropped up more than once during my ongoing course on “Ex...
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Sep 25, 2023
It’s Now, or Never Part II: The Era of Convergent and Collaborative Regulation
I recently advised a young team from a global Tech startup on AI Governance; we discussed the issue of divergent and evolving regulatory...
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Sep 23, 2023
Why Wait for Regulation? Digital Markets Need New Business Models
Why wait for regulation? While mavericks will play their part, Tech. Giants could lead the way with new, consumer-friendly business...
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Sep 11, 2023
It’s Now, or Never-Responsible Digital Transformation Requires Solid Global Governance.
It’s Now, or Never-Responsible Digital Transformation Requires Solid Global Governance. The G 20 New Delhi Leaders Declaration has won...
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Sep 8, 2023
Why Privacy Matters-Dark Patterns & Other Realities
Why Privacy Matters in a Digital World – Dark Patterns and Other Realities. Various Indian newspapers have reported today that the...
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Aug 25, 2023
A Heartening Clarification on Privacy
In a Democracy, the choice of how to regulate matters involving protecting citizens’ rights should be straightforward. An elected...
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Aug 16, 2023
The Dawn of a New Era in the Saga of Digital Transformation; Some Things Never Change
Hear from an influential thought leader and digital transformation speaker . Global Digital Transformation began with landlines and is...
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Aug 14, 2023
An AI Atlas-Mapping Uncharted Territory
This is recommended reading for anyone interested in AI regulation. It is hard to put down the ‘Atlas of AI’ by Kate Crawford. The book...
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Jul 21, 2023
Why Do We Need Ex Ante Regulation of AI? Is Self Regulation Not Enough?
Algorithmic regulation should be rooted in ethics and be legally enforceable. As human creations, algorithms are controlled by us; we...
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Jul 16, 2023
The Teaching of Public Policy
Teaching my discipline, i.e., Public Policy (in my case, with an emphasis on Technology), has a long theoretical legacy. However, the...
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