According to Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communications, Electronics and Information Technology and Railways, there would be no conflict between the draft Telecommunications Bill 2022 and other laws in work on regulating over-the-top (OTT) players or apps. He said that the contents of the new draft bill need to be seen in consonance with the other upcoming laws to regulate India’s digital framework, including laws on data protection and the Digital India Act.
Further, the minister clarified that the draft telecom bill has clearly defined that the apps which provide communication services will be brought under the telecom law, keeping in mind users’ security needs, and not the ones which offer broadcasting services. There is also no provision for forcing the decryption of encrypted messages in the draft bill, but there is a clear mechanism for interception. He informed that the OTT services were already being regulated through an interpretation of the Indian Telegraph Act. The new law will codify those regulations for clarity. He said that the government would ensure there is no hurdle in innovation, and that stakeholders are not under a huge regulatory burden.
Vaishnaw noted that the main thrust of the bill is to protect users. It has been proposed that a person who is receiving a call should know the identity of the caller. It includes all kinds of calls, including normal voice calls, WhatsApp calls, Facetime or any other OTT call. He added that the new bill would address the situation of cyber fraud upfront in multiple dimensions.
