The Telecommunications Bill, 2023, presented by Union Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Lok Sabha on Monday, aims to overhaul the outdated Indian Telegraph Act that has governed the telecom sector for 138 years. Commenting on the Telecom Bill, P Balaji, Chairman of the ASSOCHAM National Digital Communication Council, said, "The Telecom Bill is yet another landmark moment in the telecom reforms process."
Also Read: DIPA Welcomes Overhaul as Telecom Bill Promises State Uniformity in RoW
"The Bill demonstrates the unrelenting focus of the Government in driving investments and putting India amongst the leading nations in the Digital Revolution. The bill is citizen centric, easy to understand and provides for a framework that will balance regulation and innovation. It will accelerate infrastructure deployment and ease the complex ROW processes. It will also ensure that secure and resilient telecom networks are put in place," Balaji said.
"The Bill, once converted into an Act, will provide a broad framework and future fit rules can be prescribed from time to time to address the continuous evolution of technology and innovation, Balaji concluded.
The provisions in the Telecommunications Bill 2023 address longstanding concerns of telecom infrastructure providers, including the capping of charges, deemed approval processes, and the deployment of telecom infrastructure on private property.
Also Read: AIFISPA Applauds Telecommunications Bill 2023 for Promoting Digital Connectivity
As reported by TelecomTalk, various industry bodies, organizations, and companies, including the Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA), All India Fixed Internet Service Providers Association (AIFISPA), Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), Indian Space Association (ISpA), CEO of Bharti Airtel, CEO of Vodafone Idea (Vi), in their respective comments, have hailed the telecom bill 2023.
