The Ministry of Communications, on 22nd September 2022 has notified the Draft Indian Telecommunication bill, 2022 and has invited comments from the public which shall be sent through email to Naveen.kumar71@gov.in before 20th October 2022.
The Bill recognizes the globally established principle of exclusive privilege of the Central Government in relation to telecommunication services, telecommunication network, telecommunication infrastructure and spectrum.
For provision of Telecommunication Services and Telecommunication Networks, an entity shall have to obtain a license. To ensure that there is no disruption in the sector, an entity providing telecommunication services or telecommunication network under current law shall be entitled to continue to operate under its existing terms and conditions till it migrates to a set of new terms and conditions.
For providing telecommunication infrastructure, an entity shall have to obtain only a registration, not a license. This will simplify the setting up of infrastructure. Telecommunication infrastructure includes telecommunication lines, posts, telecommunication towers, ducts, conduits, cable corridors, or any civil, electrical, or mechanical infrastructure used or capable for use for telecommunication as notified by the Central Government. An entity providing telecommunication infrastructure under existing laws shall be entitled to continue to operate under existing terms and conditions for five years or optimally migrate to a set of new terms and conditions.
The Bill provides that any entity that has been granted license under this Act shall identify the persons to whom it provides the services through a verifiable mode of identification. The Bill also provides that the identity of the person sending a message shall be available to a user.
