(No names please as far as VSNL executives are concerned, otherwise our jobs will be at stake, this writer has been categorically told. The last time this writer referred to a VSNL manager in this column, apparently, he got a tongue lashing from the senior management.)

The scheduled break of bom1 services was for one hour in the morning between 8 am and 9 am and it had the audacity to send a mail to bom1 subscribers to convey the break in access service. The logic at VSNL doesn't seem like logic at all. The ISP has the gall to switch off internet access at what is likelyto be the peak traffic hour, just when office goers want to check their electronic mail or read the latest from the newspapers. What would be better is that it should do maintenance between 2 am and 4 am like most ISPs do.

Wrong time selection for maintenance was error number one. Error number two was that it let the situation get out of control wherein it could do no firefighting. Error number three: It had no standby facilities. If there is a breakdown in services, VSNL should at least allow users access to the Web from other servers, which are up and running. And this should be at no extra cost to subscribers: VSNL should bear the loss for not being able to offer continuous quality services.

If this were the US, it would have been deluged with legal notices. Once when there was a breakdown in America Online, the service and its managers had to face hell from subscribers.

As did VSNL on the infamous day of July 1, 1999. The telephone operator, after a while simply refused to pick up the phone, soflooded was the ISP with irritated and economically-hurt subscribers. Hopefully, VSNL's senior management will learn from this mishap and take up maintenance tasks early in the morning when most users are asleep and leave enough time for taking corrective measure should there be a breakdown. Otherwise, loyal customers like this writer will turn to other options -- and over time more of them are going to be available as private ISPs and cable delivered internet services spread.

The agricultural Web

The government has been talking about giving an impetus to the World Wide Web in India. One target audience which, however, is being given the cold-shoulder is the humble Indian farmer.

Agreed there is little infrastructure available to give him access to the huge resource of farming information and help that is available on the Web, but the government and some private companies have to make a start by placing a few internet nodes and access kiosks in the interiors for only farmers' use. And ifpossible, access should be at reduced costs. If the agriculture ministry wishes it can make the network private and call it kisan.net or whatever it chooses to.

It should work with developers to come up with local content that is relevant to them like the weather, cropping patterns, how to battle insects and pests, seed availability and similar information. The content should be made available in various languages so that it can be used by farmers all over India.

The reason why this writer is suggesting this is because a study in the US conducted by Rockwood Research, entitled "AgWeb 1999: Internet and E-commerce in Production Agriculture", has shown that internet usage by commercial farmers doubled in the past two years and is likely to treble in 1999.

The US study showed that two-thirds of all commercial farmers own at least one computer. It revealed that US farmers are quickly migrating toward web-based transactions such as purchasing seed, crop chemicals, and farm equipment. And guess what? Theysurf the Web for at least two hours a week for agricultural information like commodity prices, weather, farm machinery and chemicals.

Clearly, there is scope to educate and inform the Indian farmer through the Web. Now it's up to the Indian government and private enterprise to exploit it.

(The writer is the editor of The Indian Cab&Sat Reporter. Feel free to email with your comments to television@vsnl.com or television@hotmail.com)