Telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that Over-the-top (OTT) apps or services will not be under the ambit of the newly pass Telecommunications Bill 2023. This statement comes days after Parliament pass the new telecom bill that replaces three older laws, including the including the 138-year-old Indian Telegraph Act.
Provisions under the new bill reduce the powers of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and give the government unprecedented powers, including the ability to take over telecom services in the interest of national security.
After the Telecommunications Bill (2023) was pass the concerns were raise related to increase scrutiny and interference from the government, if OTT communication apps like WhatsApp and Signal were include under the ambit of the new telecommunications bill, that is awaiting the President’s assent, before it becomes law.
Ashwini Vaishnaw said that, there is no coverage of OTT in the new telecom bill pass by the Parliament, also explaining that these OTT apps are currently cover by the Information Technology Act, 2000 and will continue to be regulate by the same law that is overlook by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
As Meta reportedly express concerns over the telecom bill in an internal email to colleagues from Shivnath Thukral, Director and Head of India Public Policy at Meta.
The revise version of the telecommunications bill that was pass by Parliament does not contain and references to OTT or OTT platforms, but mentions terms like ‘telecommunication services‘, ‘messages‘ and ‘telecommunications identifier‘ which could also apply to OTT platforms.
The telecom bill 2023 is now waiting the President’s assent before it becomes a law as it was approve in the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote, a day after it was pass by the Lok Sabha.
This bill is to replace the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933, and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act of 1950.
