{"id":38729,"date":"2023-12-24T08:38:36","date_gmt":"2023-12-24T03:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=38729"},"modified":"2025-04-23T13:50:33","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T08:20:33","slug":"telecommunication-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/telecommunication-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Telecommunication Bill 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in the News?<\/li>\n<li>About Telecommunications Bill, 2023<\/li>\n<li>Key Features of Telecommunications Bill, 2023<\/li>\n<li>Key Issues with the Bill<\/li>\n<li>How has the Telecom Industry received the Bill?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why in News?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Telecommunications Bill, 2023, was passed in the Parliament this week.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>About Telecommunications Bill, 2023<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>At present, the Indian Telecommunications sector is governed by three separate Acts of Parliament \u2013\n<ul>\n<li>Indian Telegraph Act 1885,<\/li>\n<li>Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933,<\/li>\n<li>Telegraph Wires, (Unlawful Protection) Act 1950<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The Telecommunications Bill, 2023 aims to consolidate these three separate Acts.<\/li>\n<li>Aim: To amend the existing laws governing the provision, development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services, telecom networks and infrastructure, in addition to assignment of spectrum.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Key Features of Telecommunications Bill, 2023<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Authorisation for telecom-related activities:\n<ul>\n<li>Prior authorisation from the central government will be required to:\n<ul>\n<li>(i) provide telecommunication services,<\/li>\n<li>(ii) establish, operate, maintain, or expand telecommunications networks, or<\/li>\n<li>(iii) possess radio equipment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Assignment of spectrum:\n<ul>\n<li>Spectrum will be assigned by auction, except for specified uses, where it will be allocated on an administrative basis.<\/li>\n<li>Specified purposes include: (i) national security and defence, (ii) disaster management, (iii) weather forecasting, (iv) transport, (v) satellite services such as DTH and satellite telephony, and (vi) BSNL, MTNL, and public broadcasting services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Powers of interception and search:\n<ul>\n<li>Messages or a class of messages between two or more persons may be intercepted, monitored, or blocked on certain grounds.<\/li>\n<li>Such actions must be necessary or expedient in the interest of public safety or public emergency, and must be in the interest of specified grounds.<\/li>\n<li>Telecom services may be suspended on similar grounds.<\/li>\n<li>An officer authorised by the government may search premises or vehicles for possession of unauthorised telecom network or equipment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Protection of users:\n<ul>\n<li>The central government may provide for measures to protect users which include:\n<ul>\n<li>(i) prior consent to receive specified messages such as advertising messages,<\/li>\n<li>(ii) creation of Do Not Disturb registers, and<\/li>\n<li>(iii) a mechanism to allow users to report malware or specified messages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Entities providing telecom services must establish an online mechanism for registration and redressal of grievances.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Right of way:\n<ul>\n<li>Entities laying telecommunication infrastructure may seek right of way over public or private property.<\/li>\n<li>Right of way must be provided on a non-discriminatory and non-exclusive basis to the extent possible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Appointments to TRAI:\n<ul>\n<li>The Bill amends the TRAI Act to also allow individuals with: (i) at least 30 years of professional experience to serve as the Chairperson, and (ii) at least 25 years of professional experience to serve as members.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Digital Bharat Nidhi:\n<ul>\n<li>The Universal Service Obligation Fund has been established under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 to provide for telecom services in underserved areas.<\/li>\n<li>The Bill retains this provision, renames the fund as Digital Bharat Nidhi, and also allows its use for research and development in telecom.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Offences and penalties:\n<ul>\n<li>The Bill specifies various criminal and civil offences.<\/li>\n<li>Providing telecom services without authorisation, or gaining unauthorised access to a telecom network or data, are punishable with imprisonment up to three years, a fine up to two crore rupees, or both.<\/li>\n<li>Breaching terms and conditions of authorisation is punishable with a civil penalty of up to five crore rupees.<\/li>\n<li>Possessing unauthorised equipment, or using unauthorised network or service, is punishable with a penalty of up to ten lakh rupees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Adjudication process:\n<ul>\n<li>The central government will appoint an adjudicating officer to conduct inquiries and pass orders against civil offences under the Bill.<\/li>\n<li>The officer must be of the rank of joint secretary and above.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Key Issues with the Bill<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Interception of communication:\n<ul>\n<li>The Bill provides that any message or class of messages between two or more persons may be intercepted, monitored, or blocked on specified grounds.<\/li>\n<li>Such grounds include:\n<ul>\n<li>(i) the interest of the security of the state,<\/li>\n<li>(ii) friendly relations with other countries,<\/li>\n<li>(iii) public order, or<\/li>\n<li>(iv) prevention of incitement of offences.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Telecom services may be suspended on similar grounds (e.g., internet shutdown).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Whether procedure and safeguards should be provided in the Bill:\n<ul>\n<li>The procedure and safeguards are to protect the fundamental rights of individuals against the actions of the government.<\/li>\n<li>Hence, this raises the question whether they should be specified in the Bill, instead of being delegated to Rules issued by the government.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The Bill may allow mass surveillance:\n<ul>\n<li>The Bill provides that any message or class of messages between two or more persons, or relating to any particular subject, may be subject to interception, monitoring, or blocking.<\/li>\n<li>These actions will be subject to procedure and safeguards prescribed by the central government.<\/li>\n<li>Using these grounds, an order may be made to intercept or monitor all communication where a particular word or set of words is used.<\/li>\n<li>Such an order would require all communication of all users to be monitored.<\/li>\n<li>Hence, this raises the question whether such actions could be considered proportionate to the objective.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Safeguards with regard to the power of search and seizure not specified:\n<ul>\n<li>The Bill allows any officer authorised by the central government to search a premise or vehicle on specified grounds.<\/li>\n<li>The officer must have reason to believe that unauthorised telecommunications equipment or network used to commit an offence is kept or concealed.<\/li>\n<li>The officer may also take possession of such equipment or network.<\/li>\n<li>The Bill neither specifies the procedure and safeguards against such actions, nor provides that such safeguards will be prescribed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Need for biometric verification:\n<ul>\n<li>The Bill provides that telecom service providers must verify the identity of their users through any verifiable biometric-based identification.<\/li>\n<li>This requirement may not be proportionate, and may infringe upon the fundamental right to privacy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How has the Telecom Industry received the Bill?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA) and the Cellular Operators\u2019 Association of India have welcomed the provisions in the Bill that bring uniformity across States.<\/li>\n<li>The Indian Space Association has thanked the government for including satellite-based communication networks for allocation of spectrum by administrative method.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Q1) How big is the telecommunication industry in India?<\/h3>\n<p>The Telecom industry in India is the second largest in the world with a subscriber base of 1.179 Bn as of August 2023 (wireless + wireline subscribers).<\/p>\n<h3>Q2) How do satellite phones work?<\/h3>\n<p>A satellite phone has an omnidirectional or directional antenna that is used for both transmitting and receiving signals. In order to receive a signal for service, most satellite phones require a line-of-sight with the sky.\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/will-the-new-telecom-bill-streamline-the-sector-explained\/article67669834.ece#:~:text=The%20telecommunication%20network%20is%20not,been%20lauded%20by%20the%20industry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Will the new telecom Bill streamline the sector? | Explained<\/u><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/prsindia.org\/billtrack\/the-telecommunication-bill-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>| PRS<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Telecommunications Bill, 2023 aims to consolidate three separate Acts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":38730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-38729","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38729"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38729\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}