The story so far: The Telecommunications Bill, 2023, was passed in Parliament this week. When it receives the assent of the President, the Bill will replace three archaic laws such as the Telegraph Act of 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933 and The Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950. It aims to consolidate the law for wireless networks and Internet service providers, and simplify the process of application for licences and permits for telecom operators.
What is the Telecommunications Bill, 2023?
The Bill governs authorisation of telecommunication networks and services, provides for auctioning as well as administrative allocation of spectrum, defines the mechanism for exercising the right of way for laying telecom infrastructure such as cables in public as well as private property. It also spells out emergency measures the government can take in the interest of national security and public safety such as intercept messages, suspend telecommunication services as well as take temporary possession of any telecommunication service or network. The Bill also states that rules will be framed to protect consumers with the setting up of a ‘Do Not Disturb’ register to ensure they don’t receive a specified class of messages without prior consent.
