A parliamentary panel has warned Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) against its earlier decision to reduce internet upload bandwidth.
At a meeting on Sunday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications advised the telecom watchdog against a similar move in the future.
“The move to cut bandwidth is an obstacle to our transition to ‘digital Bangladesh,” Chairman Mohammad Abdus Sattar told reporters.
The telecom regulator on May 15 had asked the international internet gateway operators (IIG) to reduce upload bandwidth of the ISPs by 75 percent in an effort to prevent illegal VoIP. However, it took back the order on May 19.
A member of the parliamentary committee requesting anonymity told bdnews24.com, “BTRC backed their move saying that it meant to contain illegal VoIP. But the committee believes this argument is unacceptable.”
“They can find out how many VoIP calls are made if they check the call records. There is no need to decrease bandwidth for this,” the member added.
On May 21, the parliamentary oversight panel on information and communication ministry said it would recommend authorities increase internet bandwidth while maintaining that it was a correct decision to decrease upload speed.
The standing committee said speed was contained also as a security measure to prevent unscrupulous activities and spreading of misinformation on the internet.
The committee also discussed projects of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to express their displeasure at the rate of their implementation.
Source: BD news 24
