Telecom Technology Development Fund

Why in news?

• Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) officially launched the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) Scheme.

About Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF):

• Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) aims to fund R&D in rural-specific communication technology applications and form synergies among academia, start-ups, research institutes, and the industry to build and develop the telecom ecosystem.
• Additionally, the Scheme aims to promote technology ownership and indigenous manufacturing, create a culture of technology co-innovation, reduce imports, boost export opportunities and creation of Intellectual Property.
• Under the scheme, USOF is also targeting to develop standards to meet countrywide requirements and create the ecosystem for research, design, prototyping, use cases, pilots, and proof of concept testing, among others.

What is USOF?

• The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) was formed by an Act of Parliament, and was established in 2002 under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act 2003.
• It aims to provide financial support for the provision of telecom services in commercially unviable rural and remote areas of the country.
• It is an attached office of the Department of Telecom, and is headed by the administrator, who is appointed by the central government.
• How does it work?
  • The funds come from Universal Service Levy (USL).
  • The USL is charged from all the telecom operators on their Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR).
  • These are then deposited into the Consolidated Fund of India, and prior parliamentary approval is required for dispatching.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements regarding ‘Universal Service Obligation Fund’:

1. The Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003 gave statutory status to the Universal Service Obligation Fund.

2.The source of fund is ‘Universal Service Levy’ charged from all the telecom operators

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer