Jayalalithaa Launches Internet For Every Household Project

NDTV

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today launched the government's broadband internet scheme at affordable cost through the state-owned Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited.

Consumers now have a choice of six packages ranging from Rs 299 a month to Rs 899 a month, for 2 GB to 40GB at 2 Mbps to 4 Mbps speeds. The scheme's tag line is "internet to every household".

Sources in the government say mobile major Vodafone provides the bandwidth to every control room in district headquarters from where cable TV operators would take internet to individual homes.

Officials say as of now only 1000 connections have been given on a pilot basis. In Chennai a meagre 13 connections have been given in an apartment at RK Nagar, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's constituency.

Statistics reveal Cable Operators have not shown great interest in providing internet connectivity. Out of 26000 operators across the state only around 6000 have signed up.

After taking over as Chief Minister in 2011, Ms Jayalalithaa revived the defunct Arasu Cable TV Corporation and offered cable TV at a low price. It became a super hit with seven million subscribers.

The state government had spent around Rs 8 crore for the internet project to install high quality digital head ends in Thanjvur, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Vellore with control rooms and without control rooms at Madurai and Trichy.

State elections in Tamil Nadu are due in May.