TRAI extends dates for views on AGR issues relating to Spectrum

TRAI extends dates for views on AGR issues relating to Spectrum

TRAI

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has extended the dates for getting views on minimum presumptive AGR for Spectrum and VSAT licenses.

A release today said comments can be sent on 13 October with countercomments if any by 27 October 2016.Following a query by the Department of Telecom on25 June 2016, TRAI had asked stakeholdersif spectrum assignment on location basis/link-by-link basis on administrativebasis to ISPs, be continued in the specified bands.

In the consultation paper issued following the DoT letter,the regulator has discussed issues relating to minimum presumptive AGR for ISPlicenses and VSAT licenses and other issues raised by DoT in its reference of25 June 2014, and 15 May 2015. The information/clarifications were furnished toDoT in the letter of 2 March 2016.

The DoT had soughtTRAI’s recommendations in terms of clause 11(1) of TRAI Act 1997 (as amended)on:

(A) ISP license (i) Rates for SUC; (ii) Percentage of AGR including minimum AGR; (iii) Allied issues like schedule of payment, charging ofinterest, penalty and Financial Bank Guarantee (FBG).

(B) Commercial VSAT license (i) Floor level (minimum) AGR, based on the amount ofspectrum held by commercial VSAT operators. The Authority said in 2014 it had suo motu undertaken theexercise of review of definition of revenue base (AGR) for the reckoning oflicence fee (LF) and  spectrum usage charges (SUC).

The Consultation Paper wasissued on 31st July 2014 and Recommendations on 6 January 2015. The Recommendationsalong with other issues also contain recommendations on minimum presumptiveAGR. In the Recommendations of 6 January 2015, the Authority hadrecommended that minimum presumptive AGR for the purpose of LF and SUC should notbe made applicable for any licenses granted by the Government for providingtelecom services.

Paper available on trai.gov.in

Also read

http://www.indiantelevision.com/regulators/trai/trai-issues-consultation-paper-on-agr-issues-relating-to-spectrum-160819