Two days after releasing the draft version of the Electronics & Information Technology on Telecom Bill 2022 telecom bill, Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said the bill is expected to be in place by May.
“I see a timeline of 6-10 months but we are not a in hurry,” the minister opined.
Read More: SEBI to mandate more disclosure requirements for IPOs: All you need to know
The Department of Telecom (DoT) has set a deadline of October 20 on the draft bill. The bill when enacted into legislation would replace three laws: the IndianTelegraph Act, 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933 and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950.
The bill would provide legal backing to Right of Ways actions, paving the way for swifter approvals and solutions for damaged towers and fibres.
“The focus is on the effective use of spectrum. It has been given legal backing now. Existing rules & regulations to continue, some significant reforms brought in,” Vaishnaw said on Friday.
The draft bill seeks to broader the definition of telecom to include OTT communication services, internet-based communication services, and broadcasting services among others.
Read More: Snapdeal Toofani Sale 2022: ‘Around 80 per cent festive discount on these items’; details inside
The term ‘telecommunication services’ has been defined to include broadcasting services, electronic mail, voice mail, voice, video and data communication services, audiotex services, videotex services, fixed and mobile services, internet and broadband services, satellite-based communication services, internet based communication services, in-flight and maritime connectivity services, interpersonal communications services, machine to machine communication services, over-the-top (OTT) communication services which is made available to users by telecommunication, according to the draft.
The draft (Telecom) Bill focuses on users’ security, both service providers & users should know caller’s identity. Due to technology, distiction b/w voice&data calls disappeared. So all platforms used to make calls should be brought under same regulation, he added.
The minister further added after the consultation process, a final draft of the bill will be prepared, which will go through the parliamentary committee process and finally to the parliament.
“India is capable of leading in the telecom sector. Keeping this in mind the ambit of USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) has been expanded. PM has clearly said that we’ve to build 5G services parallel to global standards & lead the world in 6G technology,” Vaishnaw said.
The bill proposes several
