NEW DELHI: The government has amended the definition of broadband in the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal Regulations, 2012 to amplify the definition of broadband and to bring it in consonance with the Notification issued by the Department of Telecom in July last year.

 Thus, under the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (Third Amendment)   Regulations 2014, “"Broadband" or "Broadband Service" means a data connection that is able to support interactive services including internet access and has the capability of minimum download speed of 512 kilo bits per second to an individual subscriber from the point of presence (POP) of the service provider intending to provide Broadband service."

 This amendment is also in consonance with the National Telecom Policy 2012.

Earlier in the Broadband Policy 2004, Broadband was defined as "An always on data connection that is able to support interactive services including internet access and has the capability of the minimum download speed of 256 kilo bits per second (kbps) to an individual subscriber from the Point of Presence (POP) of the service provider intending to provide Broadband service where multiple such individual Broadband connections are aggregated and the  subscriber is able to access these interactive services including  the  Internet  through  this POP. The interactive services will exclude any services for which  a separate licence is specifically required, for example, real-time voice transmission, except to the extent that it is presently permitted under ISP licence with Internet Telephony."