Parliamentary panel discussion on Telecom Bill at draft stage is reflection of collaborative spirit: Vaishnaw

By Payal Mehta
New Delhi [India], October 26 : Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday welcomed the decision of Prataprao Jadhav-led Standing Committee for Information Technology and Communications to discuss the Telecom Bill which is currently in its draft stage.
"I want to thank the Standing Committee on IT, its chairperson, and all the MPs who are prepared to discuss the draft Bill. It would begin a new tradition. If a good discussion is held on the draft stage, all the views could be incorporated and with that would be tabled in the Parliament. It is a good example of a collaborative spirit in the Parliament," Vaishnaw said.
The Jadhav-led panel will be holding a discussion on this Bill on October 28 in Parliament. This is the first meeting on the issue on which top officials from the Telecom Ministry are likely to depose.
In a path-breaking initiative by the newly appointed chairman of the IT Committee, Pratap Jadhav, the panel will create a new precedent.
As per sources, so far never has a Bill been discussed in a Committee before its introduction in the Parliament.
The Bill is currently in its draft stage and is in the public domain to seek feedback from people.
The sources said that Chairman Jadhav requested all the members to discuss this Telecom Bill so that time can be saved and like the usual times, the panel does not have to discuss a bill once it is referred to a panel.
The Committee has also opined that it will finish its discussion on the Bill ahead of the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament when the government is likely to introduce it for passage.
The sources said that after the inputs are received from the Parliamentary panel, the Bill will again be put up as a draft to seek public feedback.
The government is confident that they will be able to do the needful and ensure that this bill is passed through during the monsoon session of 2023, the sources said.
With 117 crore subscribers, India is the world's second-largest telecommunication eco-system.
The telecommunication sector employs more than 4 million people and contributes about 8 per cent of the country's GDP.
The existing regulatory framework for the telecommunication sector is based on the Indian Telegraph Act, of 1885. The nature of telecommunication, its usage and technologies have undergone a massive change since the era of "the telegraph". The world stopped using the "telegraph" in 2013.
We now live in the era of new technologies such as 4G and 5G, the internet of things, industry 4.0, M2M communications, mobile edge Computing, etc. These technologies are creating newer opportunities for India's socio-economic growth. Therefore, India needs a legal framework attuned to the realities of the 21st century.
In the past eight years, the government has taken several initiatives for the growth of the telecommunication sector. These measures include rationalising the definition of AGR, rationalising bank guarantees and interest rates, allowing for 100 per cent FDI under the automatic route, delicensing of frequency bands, streamlining the process of SACFA clearances for mobile towers, etc.
The government has also committed huge amounts to digital inclusion. Providing high-quality connectivity in unconnected areas, the revival of BSNL, taking optical fibre to all gram panchayats, developing India's own telecom technology stack, and developing the telecom manufacturing ecosystem, demonstrate the government's commitment to digital inclusion.
It is in this context that we have taken up the initiative to restructure the legal and regulatory framework for the telecommunications sector.
The Ministry of Communications initiated a public consultative process to develop a modern and future-ready legal framework. In July 2022, a Consultation Paper on 'Need for a new legal framework governing Telecommunication in India' was published and comments were invited.
The Consultation Paper explained the existing legal framework and issues associated with it and highlighted the evolution of telecommunication regulation in other countries.