New telecom bill to eliminate spam calls and fraud messages

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the government through its Telecom Bill is aiming to bring in ‘Light Touch’ regulations for OTT platforms. He also said that the reforms would help subscribers get relief from spam calls and messages.

The Union Minister also said that the bill will work as protection of the users. The draft telecom bill is said to be currently under consultation with all the stakeholders and a final draft will be made based on the consultation.

The minister said, “Wherever possible the regulation should have very effective means of achieving the objective. We have to make strict effective regulation wherever required, but rest in all the places there will be light touch and simple regulations, so nobody will have to face any hassle. This bill will work as protection of users.”

“Apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal will come under the ambit of Telecom Bill. The draft bill includes OTT, Communication services as well in the definition of telecom services,” he added. According to the draft bill, WhatsApp, Zoom, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Microsoft Teams, and Google Duo may soon require licences to operate in India.

“This draft bill has Know Your Customers (KYC) provisions, protection from unsolicited messages, enables provisions for Do Not Disturb (DND) registers. It makes the identity of caller visible to the receiver to prevent frauds and it is the duty of the user to give correct KYC information,” Vaishnaw added.