William Kennard

TRAI signed a work plan agreement with the US-based Federal
Communications Commission to improve its ability to make decisions. This
agreement was the result of FCC chairman William Kennard's visit to India. He
always used to share his experiences relating to regulation, competition and
inter-connection uses, universal access besides exchange of information in the
field of technology and new services. He brought in an American perspective to
the Indian regulatory space and in favor of a strong and independent TRAI, which
he felt was important for economic development of the country.

During his tenure as FCC chairman from November 1997 to January 2001, he
helped shape policies that created a revolution in wireless telephony and
brought the Internet to the majority of American households. This brought in
billions of dollars of investment in new broadband technologies. He was also a
champion of bridging the digital divide in the United States and around the
world.