Telecommunications Bill 2023 passed in Lok Sabha, heads to Rajya Sabha

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Telecommunications Bill 2023 to replace the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933 and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act of 1950.

After the passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha, it is now headed to the Rajya Sabha for the final review. 

The bill aims to amend and consolidate the law relating to development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services and telecommunication networks, assignment of spectrum and connected matters.

The Telecommunications Bill 2023 is to replace the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933 and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act of 1950.

Noteworthy is that the Bill was introduced at the House by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on December 18. 

The proposed Bill aims to overhaul the existing licensing regime for telecom networks, transitioning from the current system to an authorization framework. Under the current arrangement, the telecom department issues over 100 types of licenses, registrations and permissions. The Bill aims to streamline this process by consolidating many of these into a single authorization mechanism.

Moreover, the Bill empowers the government to reclaim spectrum that had remained unused. It also introduces provisions for sharing, trading, and leasing of spectrum. Entities will now have the option to surrender unused spectrum, but they won't receive compensation from the government for that.