Ministries argue over regulating OTT platforms

Key ministries are having mixed conclusions over the issue of regulating OTT players, or apps, such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Department of Telecommunications (DoT) have backed the idea, from the perspective of national security and public safety.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) is against any kind of regulation at this stage. The DoT has said that a mechanism should be evolved wherein it has powers to selectively ban OTT apps or content to check spread of misinformation.

The DoT has accumulated these views and sent a reference to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), asking to relook its 2020 recommendations on OTT apps. However, MeitY disagrees with DoT and said that the 2020 recommendations are good enough for now and no regulation should be put in place for OTT players.

Officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) said that content and online news come under its domain and no other department should be involved. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has said that OTT apps should be brought under the licensing regime, primarily universal licence, as they offer the same set of services.

The ministries have submitted these views as part of a consultation process undertaken by the DoT over the issue of regulating apps. TRAI is expected to come out with a consultation paper, seeking comments from all the stakeholders, after which it will finalise its recommendations.