TRAI organizes consumer outreach program
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the apex body governing the state’s telecom sector, organized an event aimed at protecting consumer interests and promoting awareness among consumers. The event was organized in Silchar, Assam on Wednesday.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India organizes Consumer Outreach Programs (COP), workshops on capacity building of consumer organizations and seminars on consumer interests and protection issues. As a part of this initiative, TRAI (Regional Office Kolkata) organized a consumer outreach program at Silchar to make the general public aware about various initiatives taken by TRAI to protect consumer interests.
The program was attended by the general public as well as representatives of telecom service providers. Senior officials of the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India also participated in the event and spoke about other government initiatives for the benefit of citizens such as 4G Saturation Project, BharatNet Project, Sanchar Sathi etc.
Malaya Dutta Bora, Asst. Professor, NIT, Silchar was the guest speaker who delivered a lecture on Cyber Security. 2. During the programme, a detailed presentation was also given about the provisions of various consumer-centric regulations, directions and orders related to Value Added Services (VAS), Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC), Mobile Number Portability), Grievance Redressal Mechanism . Data services and tariffs etc. The participants were also explained about the benefits of various mobile apps, tariff portals and network coverage maps developed by TRAI for consumer empowerment and how consumers can avail the benefits of these apps/portals.
The participants were also briefed about the new TRAI rules/directives on UCC and how they should take extra precautions regarding various telecom frauds like tower fraud, fraudulent messages/calls etc. The participants were advised to actively participate to be a part of the consultation process of TRAI. Policy making process.
Prasun Chandra, Director, Department of Telecommunications, discussed the unfounded concerns of a section of citizens regarding radiation from cellular towers through scientific explanations and government measures. The BSNL team led by Sashank Bhalekar, ITS, PGM, BSNL briefed the audience about the progress of BharatNet and 4G saturation projects in the state of Assam, especially in Cachar district. The presentation was followed by an interactive session in which participants raised questions related to various aspects of telecom services.
