NEW DELHI: In a first-of-its-kind outreach, the Department of Telecommunications has invited leaders of the Opposition for their suggestions on the new draft Indian Telecommunication Bill 2022. The Opposition leaders are being directly invited by the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, to his office.
Sharing this with this newspaper, the Union minister said, “We are speaking to almost all prominent leaders of the Opposition and other leaders over the newly proposed telecom bill and will be taking their suggestions and have subsequent discussions as well.”
On Monday, senior leader of Trinamool Congress and MP of Rajya Sabha, Mahua Moitra, visited the ministry office. The TMC leader also raised many points on various provisions of the Bill and her initial doubts were also addressed to. “The bill has been drafted in simple language so that anyone is able to understand its provisions. It is being prepared to make the telecom sector consumer-and people-friendly”, the minister said. Besides this, the minister claimed that comments from suggestions from the public and experts have also been invited by the ministry.
Vaishnaw added that Congress senior leader Shashi Tharoor has also been invited to discuss the pros and cons of the draft Telcom Bill before it is introduced in the next Parliament winter session. “I have spoken to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and invited his suggestions as well but he will come post the Congress presidential elections”, Vaishnaw said.
Tharoor is currently running for Congress presidential elections. The bill was issued by the DoT two weeks back and has since then been criticised for increasing the regulatory burden, enabling surveillance and ignoring past recommendations. One of the provisions of the Bill that has been heavily criticised is that it allows for Internet shutdowns to be imposed in the country which mirrors the language used in the colonial-era Indian Telegraph Act of 1885.
Through the Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022, the Centre aims to consolidate and amend the existing laws governing the provision, development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services, telecom networks and infrastructure, in addition to the assignment of spectrum.