Telecom Commission, the apex decision-making body of the Ministry of Communications and IT has given approval to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to act as a civil court by granting more powers to the regulator.
The move indicates that TRAI will now be considered on par with the Securities and Exchange Board of India and the Competition Commission of India. Further, telecom regulator by the virtue of its new powers is permitted to summon persons, examine them on oath, demand documents and evidence on affidavits and call for expert assistance while conducting inquiries. However, whether these new powers will allow TRAI to penalise operators for non-compliance of the terms and conditions of their licence is not yet disclosed.
TRAI had been demanding additional powers since 2006. It had been arguing that transferring the spectrum mandate to it would bring more transparency in the sector by allowing it to carry out regular audits and ensure that spectrum is used optimally.
Recently, TRAI was granted its demand of being entrusted with the task of managing spectrum. In December 2011, TRAI was given the permission to undertake periodic audits of all the spectrum held by mobile phone companies and other government agencies.
TRAI’s new powers will be spelt out formally and clearly in the upcoming National Telecom Policy 2012.
