Govt’s plan to bring OTT platforms under licensing regime faces criticism 

NEW DELHI: The draft Telecom Bill that promises to bring in far reaching changes in the telecom sector has not been taken favourably by all. Some analysts and think-tanks have raised concern over some of the proposals of the Bill.

The Broadband India Forum (BIF), a think-tank that works on development of the ‘broadband ecosystem’, on Friday said the implication of draft Indian Telecommunications Bill 2022 would take the country back to the pre-1997 era as it aims to take away the statutory independence of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The forum, which has members like Cisco and Facebook, said that the proposed provisions to take away TRAI’s statutory independence, will reduce the authority to one with limited role and powers.

On the inclusion of OTT communication services (app-based) under the ambit of telecom services, BIF said the telecom regulatory body had conducted a detailed consultation on the subject over 4 years, and it came to the conclusion based on feedback from all stakeholders and global best practices that OTT services should not be regulated or licensed.

On the proposal of the government taking back spectrum after five years or withdrawing existing exemptions through mere notifications, without any consultation/due process, the forum said this could adversely impact the investor sentiment and investment potential in the sector. Kazim Rizvi, founding director of think tank The Dialogue said expanding the scope of the framework to include the OTT services is a matter of concern. 

“OTT service and telecom are different in technical and functional aspects and require separate regulation,” he said.