The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is considering a complete overhaul of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), which will enable the regulator to impose penalty on operators who flout norms, besides other issues.
Currently, TRAI does not have any means to ensure that operators comply with its diktat. Once the amended Act is in place, the regulator will be able to levy a penalty of up to Rs 50 million for each offence. The regulator may also be given the jurisdiction of a civil court, whereby it can issue summons and examine individuals under oath.
In addition, the regulator could get overriding authority with regard to interconnection issues. Under the new rule, a decision by the regulator on interconnection between two operators will be binding. Operators will not be able to challenge it in the telecom dispute tribunal.
However, DoT has not agreed to the suggestion of creating a separate TRAI cadre with its own pay-scale and working conditions. The proposed changes in the TRAI Act are being vetted by various units in DoT before it is finalised.
