Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Sunday 27 January 2019

TRAI : Taming of the TV Tycoons ?





Just 4 days back I sent following email to Shri R S Sharmaji [ Chairman , TRAI ] :




In which I wrote :



“ Why should a subscriber get tied to just ( any ) one broadcaster ?


 Why am I held a captive hostage of one subscriber ? – with its dish and set-top box ?



 Why can’t I choose a combo of individual channels offered by several DTH broadcasters ?


 Why can I not have a “ Selection Portability “ across all DTH broadcasters ? “



Then this morning , I came across following news report in Times of India :




Extract :

Troubled by your cable operator or DTH company, but unable to change your service provider as you are locked into your set-top box ?


Things may soon change as broadcast regulator TRAI plans to make digital boxes inter-operable by end of this year


This will give freedom to millions of customers to change their operator at no cost in case of deficient services


“ I am working on this. It will happen “ , TRAI chairman R S Sharma told TOI .


“ Rest assured we will make inter-operable STBs happen “ , Sharma added

“ …. Instead of loading proprietary software, the boxes should have a method which would allow downloading of software post purchase “



Thank You , Shri Sharmaji,



Nearly 20 years back , Bill Gates wrote a seminal book , titled :



With this initiative , you have a GIANT STEP towards  DIGITAL  INDIA  ! – with a request sent by E Mail  !


Readers who want to send emails to Shri Sharmaji , requesting him to take those other revolutionizing steps , may want to look up :





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28  Jan  2019


  





Thursday 24 January 2019

Thank You , Shri R S Sharmaji


Thank  You , Shri  R S Sharmaji

(  Chairman – TRAI )




For what  ?

Thank you for unravelling “ a RIDDLE wrapped in a MYSTERY, inside an ENIGMA 

{  with credits to Winston Churchill  }



Thank you for simplifying the lives of :


·         167  million Cable TV viewers

·           84  million DTH TV viewers



By launching a TV Channel Selector Application  Software on your web site :





What RIDDLE ?

From your web site , I found that this riddle consists of :

·         Definitions  ……………………. 2   options (  SD / HD )

·         Price / Channel ……………….4   options  ( Below Rs 5 – 10 – 20 or all )


·         Genre ……………………………. 10  options

·         Languages ………………………17  options


·         Broadcasters………………….  25  options

·         Bouquets ………………………. 322 options

                                                                                     
·         Types of Channels

#  Free to Air ( FAT )…….. 374   Channels

#  Pay …………………………..  165   Channels



As per one estimate , there are over 800 TV Channels in India



It is , therefore safe to assume that not all of these have submitted to TRAI , their pricing details






How  UNRAVELLED  ?

TRAI web site must be complimented for providing a very “ User Friendly “ interface which enables a subscriber to , step by step , select following:

·         Genre

·         Price

·         Broadcaster

·         Language

·         HD / SD

·         Pay Channels ……………. ( with individual prices )

·         Free to Air Channels…. ( with individual prices )

·         Bouquets…………………… (  with bouquet prices  )



I also appreciate the following features :

·         Optimizing  your selection
     ( App pointed out that I can add one more channel  for same total price . It even “
      recommended  “ which one  ! )

·         Previewing  selection made and re-working any number of times

·         Downloading  ( as PDF ) selected channels list – with prices




What is the limitation of TRAI present site ?


As it stands now , this “ Channel Selector Application “enables one to try out various combinations of channels , to figure out how much each combination will cost you per month . It stops there


For actual selection / payment , a subscriber still needs to login to the web site of his broadcaster  ( some of whom have designed their user interface with the sole objective of confusing the subscribers ! )



For a proof of above statement , click :







I am not alone in asking :


Why should a subscriber get tied to just ( any ) one broadcaster ?


Why am I held a captive hostage
 of one subscriber ? – with its dish and set-top box ?



Why can’t I choose a combo of individual channels offered by several DTH broadcasters ?


Why can I not have a “ Selection Portability across all DTH broadcasters ?





How to “ democratize “ TV viewing ?


·         Let TRAI launch………www.ChannelAggregation.gov.in


·         All TV owners to register here with Name / Address / Aadhar / PAN etc


·         For renewals , subscriber will need to enter Password / Subscriber No


·         Subscribers to be able to select any combination of those 800 Channels and make online payments on this web site, which amount TRAI will pass on to broadcasters


·         TRAI to pass-on this data to ALL concerned broadcasters with details of channels selected by each subscriber

·         There will be one universal common Set-top box / Dish antenna / Remote


·         At some later date , software may be modified to deliver “ ADVT LESS “ channels , for a higher monthly rates

·         All renewals to take place on this web site




What are the benefits of this proposal ?

·         Substitution of current complex  TWO STEP approach with a simple ONE STEP

·         Elimination of disputes between broadcasters / subscribers / MSO / TRAI


·         Better regulation by TRAI of the TV business through real-time data

·         Transparency in respect of  TRP ratings / Broadcaster – MSO subscriptions

·         Real time TV usage statistics on TRAI web site, in following categories :


#  City – Region – Genre – Language – Broadcaster – Pay – FTA – HD/SD


Knowledge of such sharply defined / accurate and real time “ Customer Preferences “ would greatly help online advertisers , who currently spend Rs 24,428 Crore on TV advts  - ( 39 % of total all-India ad spend on all media put together )




Feedback sent to TRAI through :




Dear  Shri R S Sharmaji,



You have done a tremendous job


Congratulations on simplifying the selection process and for bringing in unprecedented transparency in, what was so far, an EVIL SECRET on part of the TV Broadcasting Industry


With this initiative, you have set an example to all other REGULATORS of businesses



One suggestion :

Push through an INTEGRATION of your platform with the E Com web sites of all those TV Broadcasters , whereby both become a MIRROR IMAGE of the selections ( database ), and payments made / account status ,  made by each and every TV Subscriber . Today , these remain a mystery to TRAI



Thanking you once again for this shining example of E-Governance  !


=========================================================

This Email sent to :

Shri  R  S  Sharma , Chairman ………….cp@trai.gov.in

Shri S K Gupta , ………………………………… secretary@trai.gov.in

Debkumar Chakrabarti…………………………pradvbcs@trai.gov.in

Sunil Bajpai………………………………………… sunil.bajpai@trai.gov.in

U.K. Srivastava……………………………………pradvnsl@trai.gov.in

Shailendra Kumar Mishra……………………skmishra@trai.gov.in

Sanjeev Banzal…………………………………… advisorit@trai.gov.in

Rajiv Ranjan Tiwari………………………………advlegal@trai.gov.in

Arvind Kumar……………………………………… arvindtrai@gmail.com

Asit Kadayan………………………………………. advqos@trai.gov.in

Sanjeev Kumar Sharma……………………advadmn@trai.gov.in

Sunil Kr. Singhal…………………………………sksinghal@trai.gov.in

Syed Tausif Abbas………………………………advmn@trai.gov.in

Kaushal Kishore………………………………… advfea1@trai.gov.in

Anil Kumar………………………………………… advbcs_2@trai.gov.in

Shreenivas S. Galgali……………………..   adv.bengaluru@trai.gov.in

Bhavana Sharma……………………………… adv.jaipur@trai.gov.in

Souvick Kumar Das…………………………… adv.kolkata@trai.gov.in

Munisekhar Avileli……………………………… advisortraihyd@gmail.com

Arvind Sinha…………………………………….  arvindsinha59@gmail.com

=========================================================
25  Jan  2019
Rsvp :  hcp@RecruitGuru.com

Wednesday 23 January 2019

Manifesto Mania [ # 1 ]




It is manifesto season , once again


Political parties ( led by BJP and Congress ) are out to woo the voters


They are asking citizens to send in their suggestions for things that the parties would promise to implement , “ if they get voted to power for the next 5 years “ – ( but promise to oppose if they fail to come to power ? )


They want our suggestions for framing their ELECTION MANIFESTOS



This raises following questions :


·         Why do suggestions get invited only a few months before the elections ?

·         Why are the parties unwilling to acknowledge suggestions received at other times ?


·         How many suggestions ( sent now ) will get acknowledged / get incorporated in manifestos ?

·         Why do citizens wait for this “once – in - 5 - years“  invitation to send suggestions  ?


·         Do citizens track the  “ implementation “ of their suggestions throughout years ?



Even though I have no answers to these questions , I decided that I will keep sending my suggestions to the “ Party in Power “ , all throughout the years


Without waiting for any invitation or even hoping for an acknowledgement !


And , I will track their implementation ( even if partial or in progress ) , from reports in News Papers



That attitude made me list some 26 of my suggestions under implementation , at :






But there are many more ( sent to our Cabinet Ministers – NITI Aayog , as e mails ), whose fate I don’t know and about which I will continue to shout ( politely ), till I am heard !



Following are a few – but very important ones :


=========================================================


Suggestion :  Bring amity between Hindus / Muslims thru this Ayodhya solution
Reach - Out Time ?                                                                           [  20  Sept  2013  ]

=========================================================


Suggestion :  No more tax-evasion by making every tax payer honest

A VIRTUOUS CIRCLE ?                                                                        [  04  Jan  2015  ]


=========================================================


Suggestion :  How to kill Corruption by eliminating Black Money

One Small Step for a Man                                                                     [  19  May  2016  ]


=========================================================


Suggestion  :  A way to ensure totally transparent  Funding of Political Parties

Transparency in Political Funding ?                                                        [  06  July  2017  ]


=========================================================


Suggestion :  Ensure Indians stay in control of their Personal Data – and sell it for money

Only Answer : a Statutory Warning                                                       [  10  Nov  2018  ]


=========================================================


Suggestion :  Save 12 lakh Indians dying from Air Pollution each year thru traffic pollution

Transport : an Integrated Logistic Plan ?                                                [ 20  Nov  2018  ]


=========================================================


Dear Shri Rajnath Singhji,



I believe you head the BJP committee entrusted with framing the election manifesto of BJP


I urge you to consider my above-mentioned suggestions for inclusion in that


There are many others which too , I can search out from my past emails to the Cabinet Ministers , and send if I get your acknowledgement  !



========================================


23  Jan  2019

Rsvp :  hcp@RecruitGuru.com