Long anticipated Telecommunications Bill 2023 presented in the Lok Sabha!?
Reportedly the long-anticipated Telecommunications Bill 2023 was presented in the lok sabha on monday by union minister for communications ashwini Vaishnaw. However, Bahujan Samaj Party’s Ritesh Pandey opposed the bill’s presentation under Article 177 of the Constitution. He contested its classification as a money bill, which potentially circumvents scrutiny by the Rajya Sabha. Pandey adamantly advocated for its reclassification as a regular bill, emphasising the need for comprehensive scrutiny.However, there are a few facts that need to be looked into. Clause 21 of the bill bestows the central government with the authority to take over, manage, or suspend any telecommunication services or networks in the interest of national security or during times of war.It says: “The central government may, if satisfied that it is necessary or expedient so to do, in the interest of national security, friendly relations with foreign States, or in the event of war, by notification take such measures as are necessary in the circumstances of the case, including issuing directions in respect of the following, namely… (f) taking over the control and management of, or suspending the operation of, or entrusting any authority of the central government to manage any or all of any telecommunication services, or any telecommunication network or part thereof, connected with such telecommunication services.”While the bill doesn’t mention over-the-top (OTT) platforms in its definition of telecom services, it introduces a revised spectrum allocation process for satellite broadband services, bypassing auctions. This move aims to expedite service launches and is anticipated to benefit key companies such as Bharti’s OneWeb, Reliance’s jio Satellite Communications, Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper for administrative allocation of spectrum under the GMPCS licence. Additionally, the contentious nature of the bill extends to the appointment process for the Telecom Regulatory Authority of india (TRAI) chairman and members, enabling appointments from the private sector based on extensive professional experience.