The Senate committee has asked for a report on the damage caused by the slow internet
The court directed to resolve the issue of internet and social media within 2 weeks
At least 500 million has been lost due to internet slowdown, Senator Afnanullah
The service of mobile operators has been disrupted, there may be a technical problem which will be resolved soon, Secretary IT
If there is no investment in this way, the whole business will be destroyed, said Senator Mohmand
The agenda was postponed due to non-availability of PTA officials related to the firewall.
Losses from firewalls could exceed $300 million, PASHA reacts
ISLAMABAD ( WEB NEWS )
The Senate committee called for a report on the damage caused due to the slow speed of internet in the country, while taking strict notice of the matter, it also instructed to solve the problem within two weeks. A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology was held under the chairmanship, in which the committee members raised the issue of internet and social media apps being down. Senator Afnanullah said that there has been a loss of at least 500 million due to slow internet. Secretary IT told the meeting that the service of mobile operators has been disrupted, there may be a technical problem which will be resolved soon. The Senate Committee called for a report on the damage caused by slow internet and social media apps and directed to solve the problem of internet and social media within 2 weeks. That members of the committee expressed serious concern over the impact of internet services. Senator Afnanullah Khan said that media downloading and uploading is not happening on social media, WhatsApp. Many are leaving e-commerce forums. Senator Humayun criticized and said that you have destroyed people’s jobs. The whole business will be destroyed if there is no investment already. IT Ministry has stated that it is a problem on networks and not on Wi-Fi. PTA claimed that we have not received any complaints regarding internet service. In the meeting, the agenda of the standing committee on firewall was postponed. The PTA had to present the details to the standing committee regarding the firewall. Agenda postponed due to non-availability of PTA officials related to firewall. The Standing Committee on Firewall had called an in-camera briefing. Secretary IT Ayesha Humira said that this is a problem in the service of mobile operators. We are collecting data from mobile operators, will present the details in two weeks, this problem will not be long, soon the internet problem will be solved, the data we get from the operators will be presented to the standing committee.
Additionally, the committee addressed the complaint of MNA Ali Jaan Mazari regarding poor internet service in Kashmore. MNA Ali Jaan Mazari stated that internet services have been crawling for the last four months, and despite several requests, no action has been taken so far. PTA officials highlighted that there are around 156 sites of three major service providers in the area and that internet services are mostly down due to unannounced load shedding. However, the PTA is assessing the issue and will submit its report in the next 15 days. The committee also directed the PTA to submit its quarterly survey report at the next meeting.
Senator Afnan Ullah Khan raised the matter of appointing a Secretary IT from the private sector. It has been rumored that the secretary will be appointed for a period of two years with a salary of around Rs. 20 lac, he added. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, State Minister for IT, stated that the proposal was moved forward by the Establishment Division and that the ministry will brief the committee on the matter in the upcoming week.
The committee deliberated on the Bill titled “The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023.” Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, the bill’s mover, stated that the primary purpose of the bill is to protect the data of citizens because, as of now, there is no law in place for this purpose. Officials of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications informed that the ministry has consulted with over 100 local and international stakeholders and is working on a final draft to address the grievances of stakeholders. The draft will be completed in the next fifteen days. The committee, considering the importance of the bill for the country, recommended that the ministry complete the draft as soon as possible.
Furthermore, the committee was briefed by the Virtual University regarding its performance and operations. The Rector of Virtual University, Arshad Saleem Bhatti, informed that Virtual University was the country’s first university to start the flipped classroom model in 2002, aiming to benefit working students. Virtual University is the only university that provides quality education at an affordable fee, charging only Rs. 150,000 for the entire BS program and offering 400 courses for free. Additionally, the university generates a revenue of Rs. 7.25 billion from fees and services and bears no burden on the exchequer.
While discussing the issue of LDI/FLL licenses, State Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications Shaza Fatima Khawaja stated that a dispute has been ongoing between the PTA and LDI license holders regarding the determination of Access Promotion Contribution for the Universal Service Fund. Thirty months before the expiry of their license in 2024, the PTA issued notices to LDI license holders that it would not renew their licenses due to non-payment of arrears. LDI license holders have acquired a stay order from the Sindh High Court, stating that the PTA could not condition the renewal of licenses on the payment of dues. She highlighted that the PTA has taken up the matter with the Attorney General of Pakistan and is looking forward to a possible resolution.
Pakistan Software Houses Association (PASHA)
Pakistan Software Houses Association (PASHA) says that the loss to the economy due to the internet firewall in Pakistan can exceed 30 million dollars. According to a private TV, the PASHA organization said in a statement. Firewall implementation has already caused internet disconnection, firewall implementation has caused poor VPN performance, slow internet and poor VPN performance has caused huge business losses. These disruptions are not just inconveniences, they are a direct attack on IT development, the catastrophic financial loss from these disruptions can be estimated to be more than 300 million dollars, the government should consult the IT industry for a cybersecurity framework.