In light of the recently launched draft telecom bill, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) believes that the bill leaves a lot to be covered through regulations. To this end, the industry body asserts that the bill should formalise the concept of risk-based obligations and a consultation-based, transparent and responsive, regulation-making process.
The government, in a step towards designing a new telecom framework in India, sought to consolidate and replace three telecom legislations — Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933 and The Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Protection) Act, 1950, through the new telecom bill.
According to NASSCOM, the final bill should aim to minimise regulatory burden, uncertainty, and overlaps across different laws in the innovation-rich value-added services. The move would prove to be the key for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the digital space. That said, the industry body also expects the final bill to be suitably strengthened through a process of transparent and meaningful consultation with the stakeholders.
