TRAI UCC regulation needs to be flexible
It is usually the telemarketers based in India that have to be careful about the Do-Not-Call registry in the US. However, the Indian telecom regulator, TRAI, has recently taken a swing at this in India as well. TRAI recently came out with UCC (Unsolicited Commercial Communications) regulations whereby service providers have to maintain a Do Not Call (DNC) register. Users are allowed to register their number for which they don't want to receive any telemarketing calls. The telemarketers would be required to check this list before making calls to the users on single or multiple operator networks. This register will be centrally maintained by National Informatics Centre (NIC) India. Sounds like a good initiative for the customers. But it could mean erosion of mobile advertising market for India. With such a regulation either more companies like mGinger will crop up (which is a permission based mobile advertiser) or we shall see telecom operators coming up with their own subsidiaries that will be based around mGinger business model.
There could be less extreme measures. TRAI could modify the DNC register and allow users to have the flexibility to receive calls from a subset of telemarketers. Or they could receive paid SMSs and block those telemarketers who do not pay for such ads. The NIC could have a web based user portal where a user could specify such preferences. Or the user could tick the options off upon signing for a service or by calling customer service. Mobile is one of the powerful mediums to advertise on. And denying marketers this medium does not sound right.
The United States regulation on the issue also sounds half baked. As per the regulations there, a subscriber can allow certian telemarketers to call, but for that he/she needs to give a written consent or make a voice request to the caller for inclusion in the company specific Do-Not-Call list. Why should a subscriber take so much pains even after registering to the national Do-No-Call register. The better way would be to include some of the things in the DNC register itself.
