With an aim to replace the archaic colonial laws, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday evening paved the way for the Telecommunication Bill 2023 through voice vote. Introduced by Minister of Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Lower House, the bill seeks to supersede the existing regulatory framework for the telecommunication sector based on the Indian Telegraph Act (1885), the Wireless Telegraphy Act (1933), and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act (1950). The technology and communication services have evolved much beyond telegraphs since the oldest of these laws were passed, making it necessary for the government to revamp the legislative architecture. Now the bill will be taken up in the Rajya Sabha for debates and discussions.
In the bill, there is a provision to allocate spectrum through the administrative route, which is made due to technical reasons and is also in line with the Supreme Court order. Stating why satellite spectrum will not be allocated through auctioning, Viashnaw stated that across the world, satellite spectrum is allocated administratively and is not auctioned anywhere.
The bill seeks to allow only “authorized entities” to provide telecommunication services, necessitating all telecommunication service providers, including Gmail, and WhatsApp to obtain authorization from the government.
The new bill empowers the Centre to establish rules and norms for the protection and assurance of cybersecurity in telecom services and networks. The bill also includes a provision mandating biometric identification by telecom companies before the issuance of SIM cards to consumers. He stated, “This Bill has strict provisions to ensure sim cards are not issued without KYC and misused for making fraudulent calls.”
Furthermore, it will allow the government to take over the telecom services and intercept messages in the interests of national security and in case of emergency or war. The bill states that on the occurrence of any public emergency, the government can take temporary possession of any telecommunication service or telecommunication network from an authorized entity.
Hailing the bill, BJP’s Jayant Sinha stated the bill simplifies the telecom law and paves the way for the sector’s faster growth. He said that the Telecom sector contributes 9% to the GDP and employs 40 crore people, adding that the problems of dropped calls, when BSNL was equivalent to “Bhai Sahab Nahi Laga” have gone, while the minimum internet speed is now 40 MBPS, which earlier used to be a mere 1.3 MBPS.
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