Lok Sabha clears new telecom bill to replace colonial-era law

The Lok Sabha passed the Telecommunications Bill, 2023, through a voice vote on Wednesday after an hourlong debate in the absence of most, if not all, Opposition members. The bill allows for administrative allocation of satellite spectrum, replaces the licensing regime for telecommunication service providers with an authorisation regime, cements measures to protect users in the law, and provides a four-tiered structure for dispute resolution.

- Aditi Agrawal

"The bill [seeks] to amend and consolidate the law relating to development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services and telecommunication networks; assignment of spectrum; and for connected matters," communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday while introducing the Bill.

The bill will replace the Indian Telegraph Act (1885) and the Wireless Telegraphy Act (1933).

Industry bodies such as the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Broadband India Forum (BIF) welcomed the bill, but some MPs and privacy and technology activists expressed concern on three main fronts: inclusion of "online services", including OTT messaging ones; stringent user verification norms; and fears of heightened surveillance.

Opening the discussions on Wednesday, Vaishnaw said it was a historic day when three laws that had a "colonial mindset" are being scrapped - a reference to the criminal code bills passed by the Lower House earlier in the day. "In the same way, one colonial bill is the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, which is being repealed with today's requirements, with today's economic needs and with today's aspirations in mind," he said.

Opposition members posted questions on some of the provisions of the bill.

"Interception of communication in the interest of national security is very much essential but at the same time, privacy of citizens should also be taken care of," Sanjeev Kumar Singari, Lok Sabha MP from YSRCP, said in the House.