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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.
Aug 17, 2016
Universal Service: Regulation, Competition and Contemporary Issues
Its been a long time since I wrote. An invitation to speak at a Conference on Universal Service in India in the context of India’s...
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Feb 14, 2016
NOFN-Do we need PPP or plain USOF subsidy?
I reproduce below a news item regarding TRAI recommendations on NOFN I have previously pointed out that the simplest and fastest route...
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Dec 31, 2015
Free Basics-Do we need Facebook to (selectively) connect India
I have read extensively and written previously on net neutrality . However, my pleasure in reading critics of breaching net neutrality...
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Dec 6, 2015
NOFN/BBNL-Back to Square One Almost
I have not written for a while. Been busy in another sphere of regulation. However, I was drawn back to my much neglected blog by TRAI’s...
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May 6, 2015
NOFN-Getting it wrong yet again
An editorial humorously titled “ Optical Illusion ” correctly points out that the latest government effort to revive BBNL / NOFN by way...
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Apr 30, 2015
The Net Neutrality Debate in the Indian Context, with a Pinch of Salt
I reproduce here my article on the subject, also available at this link . It is easy to get swept away in the maelstrom of views and...
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Apr 29, 2015
The Net Neutrality Debate in the Indian Context-A Pinch of Salt
I reproduce here my article on the subject, also available at this link . It is easy to get swept away in the maelstrom of views and...
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Dec 26, 2014
NOFN-Better Late than Never?
My last post was about NOFN and the government considering private sector involvement. Not much has been reported about that realization...
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Dec 1, 2014
The State of Broadband in India – A Call for Regulatory Neutrality
CIRC, Working Paper No. 10. New Delhi: CUTS Institute for Regulation & Competition. (Digital Regulation in India) DOWNLOADS: 54 ABSTRACT...
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Sep 13, 2014
Lessons from Down Under
An article titled “ Australia’s Last Chance for Infrastructure Competitio n” describes failed opportunities as far as introducing...
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Jul 28, 2014
Messing up the Market Efficiency Gap in the Hope of Addressing the Actual Access Gap
Readers may please refer to my earliest posts about the Market Efficiency Gap and my recent one titled “ Going around in Circles “...
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Jul 6, 2014
Self Help in rural areas-How Long can They Wait for Internet
An inspiring and at the same time saddening news item in the Times of India today describes how NGOs are helping rural folk especially...
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May 1, 2014
Going Around in Circles?
The whole idea of universal service funds was that at least theoretically they are considered to be a more transparent, targeted and...
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Mar 14, 2014
National Broadband Plans- Cracks Emerge
Two interesting pieces of news that make me feel like a seer. First a post titled “Fibre fanaticism overrode proper NBN planning says...
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Jan 17, 2014
Lesssons for US Regulation from Plight of Government Schools in Rural India
An article titled “ Education Scam ” in today’s Financial Express speaks about the poor service delivery from government schools wherein...
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Jan 9, 2014
Mobile Connections for the Poor-Is this the Right Way
I have written on more than one occasion on USOF India’s Schemes aimed at providing subsidised devices and mobile connections to the...
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Jan 7, 2014
Digital Literacy and the Huge untapped Demand for Internet in Rural India
An article in the Financial Express titled “ Time to Push the Pedal ” highlights yet again the huge potential of imparting digital...
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Jan 7, 2014
US Regulation in a liberalized environment
An interesting article titled “ As Regulatory Power Wanes, State Crafts New Telecom Plan ” about the state of Vermont captures the...
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Jan 6, 2014
Adopting Open Access Models
Today’s newspaper carries a report about USOF India’s project to provide mobile towers in naxalite affected areas. This project is being...
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Dec 20, 2013
Is this what NOFN was Meant to Do?
Another article appeared today in the Economic Times about NOFN/BBNL plans to acquire an ISP license to provide e-services based on...
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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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