After Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed The Telecommunications Bill, 2023 by voice vote. The bill seeks to simplify procedural and structural processes around spectrum, licensing, right of way, and dispute resolution in the sector. A major change is that the government has moved from licensing to authorisation for various services, a practice which is prevalent in most developed economies.

The opposition members who participated in the discussions presented their arguments in favor of the bill, but sought clarifications from the government on how the interception of messages will be carried out, what will be the division of powers between state and central government with regard to interception, how long can the internet services be shut down, issues regarding administrative allocation of spectrum, among other things.

“The Bill provides for a robust grievance redressal mechanism through online dispute resolution mechanism. A common cable corridor has been proposed with all national highways and canal systems which can be accessed by anyone,” Vaishnaw said.

“A significant spectrum reform is being brought which will pull the telecom sector out from the dark ages of corruption and scams like the 2G,” he added. The new bill allows the government to take possession of a telecom network in case of any public emergency or the interest of public safety.