Joshi had argued against auction of spectrum in 2007 letter to PM

NEW DELHI: As chair of Parliament's standing committee on commerce in 2007, BJP leader M M Joshi expressed concern that auctioning of spectrum might deny state-run telecom players and new entrants a level playing field.
Joshi's defence of "genuine players" and concern over older telecom firms not fulfilling their social obligations in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is being read by the Congress as the BJP leader's reservation over spectrum and licences being auctioned.
With Joshi as Parliament's Public Accounts Committee current chair attracting Congress's wrath for his sharp attack on Singh and home minister P Chidambaram for their roles in issuance of telecom licences in 2008, the ruling party has latched on to the saffron leader's letter written just ahead of the 2G allocations.
In his December 2, 2007 letter, Joshi said some private operators, given free spectrum in excess of eligibility, were trying to disadvantage BSNL and MTNL by depriving them of airwaves. "Some operators have suggested that spectrum should be auctioned which means that there could be a case of hoarding and cartelization to the detriment (of the two firms)."
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said Joshi's letter showed that "there was vigorous debate not only within the government but also among senior opposition leaders over spectrum being cartelized. Denial of a level playing field was not an issue only for the government and the regulator".
Joshi said he did not fully recall the contents of his letter but said the reference to MTNL and BSNL explained the context that framed his communication. "In any case, the particular circumstances have nothing to do with the 2G allocations that are a totally different matter," he said.
Congress source argued that denial of spectrum to MTNL and BSNL was not a relevant issue at that point of time which was a little more than a month before jailed ex-telecom minister A Raja allotted 2G licences in January 2008. "This was an excuse to oppose auctioning of spectrum," a source said.
In his letter, Joshi also pointed to media reports of Chinese and Saudi investments in telecom and warned of possible implications for national security. "I would request you to protect the interests of our PSUs and interests of genuine players. Perhaps this can be achieved by ensuring a level playing field through a licencing policy which earns revenue and unearths excess spectrum," he wrote.