Bill proposed by Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking regulatory and licensing framework for telecommunications
Accordingly the Telecom bill, tabled by IT and Communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the lok sabha, perfectly balances economic interests, customer safety and national security. The provisions have been received well by the industry, which has been calling for regulatory reforms for a long time. The new regime will result in greater sophistication of India’s telecom industry, enhance customers’ safety and experience and elevate India’s telecom sector into the new era of 5g and satellite broadband.Meanwhile the Telecommunications Bill of 2023 introduced in the lok sabha on monday marks a significant overhaul of the nation’s telecommunications laws. This proposed legislation, the first-of-its-kind in 138 years, aims to streamline various elements such as spectrum management and authorisation, right of way and dispute resolution into a single updated statute.This long-anticipated law, which has been in development for several years, is set to replace the Telegraph Act of 1885. The 2023 Telecommunications Bill additionally aims to revise the Telecom Regulatory Authority of india (TRAI) Act of 1997. The bill seeks to remove the ‘licensing’ regime of the past and replace it with the provision of ‘authorisation’ instead. The term ‘licensing’ has been completely done away with in the newly proposed legislation.The provisions of the legislation have perfectly balanced economic interests, customer safety and national security, and have been received well by the industry which has been calling for regulatory reforms for a long time. The new regime will result in greater sophistication of India’s telecom industry and enhance customers’ safety and experience.