Telecom Bill gives DND service legal mandate

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, December 19

The draft Telecommunications Bill, 2023 introduced in Lok Sabha yesterday, has protection for users as it makes it a punishable offence if a SIM card is fraudulently acquired using someone else’s identity. The ‘do not disturb’ (DND) option gets legal mandate to protect users from unsolicited commercial or spam messages and calls and the Bill proposes an online grievance redressal mechanism for addressing grievances of users.

It lays down a legal framework for standards, cybersecurity and protection of telecom network. The Central Government can notify standards for telecommunication services and the network. Also the key issue of interception would be only as per existing provisions of Constitution. “It will be accountable mechanism in consonance with guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court and the same existing mechanism will continue,” sources said.

When the Bill talks about having a KYC done mandatorily for telecom users, Aadhar will not be mandatory. As the government will decide upon encryption, it will agree to set standards. The government will recognise technology standards for encryption adopted by telecom companies. “Standard have to be set under legal framework so that the service provider will achieve those standards,” sources said. For the telecom operators, about 100 different types of licences exist other than licence such as registration, permission and authorisation. The Bill will shift all this to ‘authorisation’ that too for 3 aspects — providing telecommunication services, operating and expanding telecommunication networks and possessing radio equipment. Documentation will also be reduced.

It will also look at spectrum reforms. It defines spectrum clearly. While auction will be the preferred mode for assignment of spectrum, it can also be assigned through administrative process for three clearly defined purposes — public interest: metro, community radio, broadcasting, government functions like defence, railways, police etc.

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