Broadband in Sri Lanka - The circus, escapade and the fiasco
For the last three years the Broadband industry in the country has done nothing short of a circus with clowns as the consumers. Many leading fixed line Broadband providers who in early months of 2006 introduced mass unlimited broadband packages are now today in the process of redefining the English language and the term unlimited and what it means, thus for the last three years the Broadband providers have been in a battle with the consumers as they effort their way to the irradiation of Unlimited packages.
With the constant unapproved speed limiting of their internet connections (once a usage limit was reached) the battle was soon lost by the consumer as they lost like animals to the finical power and beast of the broadband providers in the country, with no financially affordable law to protect them or their rights. Leaving the only choices such as a signed letters saying that he/she would limit usage or package changes to high priced volume based packages. The sheer amount of finical loss for the consumer over this escapade of unannounced traffic control is unaccountable and is undoubtedly over the billion mark in Rupees, which will never be compensated by the government nor the respectable service provider. This whole fiasco is done even today by Broadband providers with no fear whatsoever as they are almighty God.
The reason behind this is nothing more than money, because broadband is a faster method to earn than putting tax on fuel, with the current tax imposed on electronic data in various forms, undoubtedly it will be a virtual money growing on tree’s concept and nothing short of a fairy tale for the income of the government. Sadly none of the ministers in parliament are in a position to raise questions on these issues because they are mostly outdated themselves (by the time they catch up, the world have moved even faster), thus brings a need of a young minds to represent the modernized Sri Lanka in Parliament where the voice of the modern people can be heard and issues resolved. But I believe this is a issue that would probably go unheard due to loud noises by the opposition screaming “bread, butter, rice and milk! Broadband?! What is that???”
-Chirantha Amerasinghe
Moratuwa
Age 22.
For the last three years the Broadband industry in the country has done nothing short of a circus with clowns as the consumers. Many leading fixed line Broadband providers who in early months of 2006 introduced mass unlimited broadband packages are now today in the process of redefining the English language and the term unlimited and what it means, thus for the last three years the Broadband providers have been in a battle with the consumers as they effort their way to the irradiation of Unlimited packages.
With the constant unapproved speed limiting of their internet connections (once a usage limit was reached) the battle was soon lost by the consumer as they lost like animals to the finical power and beast of the broadband providers in the country, with no financially affordable law to protect them or their rights. Leaving the only choices such as a signed letters saying that he/she would limit usage or package changes to high priced volume based packages. The sheer amount of finical loss for the consumer over this escapade of unannounced traffic control is unaccountable and is undoubtedly over the billion mark in Rupees, which will never be compensated by the government nor the respectable service provider. This whole fiasco is done even today by Broadband providers with no fear whatsoever as they are almighty God.
The reason behind this is nothing more than money, because broadband is a faster method to earn than putting tax on fuel, with the current tax imposed on electronic data in various forms, undoubtedly it will be a virtual money growing on tree’s concept and nothing short of a fairy tale for the income of the government. Sadly none of the ministers in parliament are in a position to raise questions on these issues because they are mostly outdated themselves (by the time they catch up, the world have moved even faster), thus brings a need of a young minds to represent the modernized Sri Lanka in Parliament where the voice of the modern people can be heard and issues resolved. But I believe this is a issue that would probably go unheard due to loud noises by the opposition screaming “bread, butter, rice and milk! Broadband?! What is that???”
-Chirantha Amerasinghe
Moratuwa
Age 22.
