ISPs Demand Action Against PTCL For Not Blocking Banned Sites

by Ahmed Rayyan

Internet Service Providers (ISPs has demanded Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for an immediate notice against PTCL for not abiding its directives to block adult websites on its broadband and dial-up internet services.

ISPs  stated the PTCL’s has been found guilty in prima facie violation of laws and regulations by the semi-judicial body of the country as it did not block immoral websites after lapse of more than one month of the order passed.

On the other hand, it has unofficially boosted up its marketing campaign with “unfiltered DSL internet connection” to lure people for buying its subscriptions. In this way, PTCL is promoting vulgarity through access of immoral, indecent and obscene content rather than blocking them on its network for the betterment of youth and society.

They expressed their concerns over the enforcement and vigilance of PTA, which failed miserably to implements its order on the PTCL network having biggest subscribers’ base.

PTA directed all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block 1,000 accessible adult websites in a week earlier in October. There are more than 50 ISPs operating in different parts of the country, providing internet services to the customers through different modes of technology and charges.

Majority of the operators have blocked these websites before the given time period within deadline but PTCL, having largest base of internet users on its network, is reluctant to block these website for attracting customers from different network.

The subscribers are mainly use dial-up connections, DSL broadband and wireless broadband services offered by PTCL. Hence, the internet sector is the main source of earnings of the company which has been posting growth in the past couple of fiscal years.

PTCL is controlled by Etisalat, which is one of the biggest telecom operators in the world having monopoly in most of the Arab countries. Eitsalat has imposed strict censorship on the porn websites in most of the operating countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, and Afghanistan.

However in the case ofPakistanit seems reluctant to follow the same policy despite the country’s law did not allow it to provide access to its subscribers to the adult content websites.