TRAI releases amended Quality of Service regulations
Service providers will have to submit the audit and action taken reports to the TRAI every year by July 21 and November 15.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released “Quality of Service (Code of Practice for Metering and Billing Accuracy) (Amendment) Regulations, 2013” amending the framework for audit of the metering and billing system of service providers provided in the “Quality of Service (Code of Practice for Metering and Billing Accuracy) Regulations, 2006.”
The regulator in its amended regulations says service providers will be slapped a penalty of Rs. 100,000 per week for any delay in audit submission and action taken. The service providers will also be penalised not more than Rs. 100,000 for false or incomplete information and financial disincentives.
The service providers will have to submit the audit and action taken reports to the regulator every year by July 21 and November 15.
The regulator has proposed an audit of call data records one month of sample submission from the most popular plans, new plans, data plans and special tariff vouchers in each quarter.
There will be an audit of call data records of one month of sample subscribers from the most popular plans, new plans, data plans and Special Tariff Vouchers in each quarter. This way, the audit will represent the entire year. In addition to this, there shall be a ‘timely refund’ of the overcharged amounts.
“In all cases of overcharging established during audit the affected customers shall be refunded of the overcharged amounts within two months, failing which the service provider shall be liable for financial disincentive equivalent to the amount of overcharged amount,” says the TRAI in a release.
“Auditors to submit monthly progress report to TRAI on refund of overcharged amounts to affected customers, in addition to submission of report on progress of audit at periodic intervals.”