"Breaking: TRAI to Shortly Come Up with Views on Regulating Apps like WhatsApp, Facebook – Latest Update!"
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TRAI will soon provide its perspective on regulating applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook.
TRAI Chairman Lohti stated that the telecom regulator will now initiate open house discussions on establishing a regulatory framework for these Over-The-Top (OTT) services.
Over-the-top services like Facebook, WhatsApp, X, Instagram, and Signal may fall under a regulatory framework as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is gearing up to propose recommendations for them. This move comes as the government, in a recently passed telecom act, had excluded these services from the regulatory framework.
TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lohti stated that the telecom regulator will now move forward with open house discussions to formulate a regulatory mechanism for Over-The-Top (OTT) services, as reported by the Times of India. "I know we have an ongoing consultation on OTT communication. It is just that in the last few months we are burning the midnight oil clearing the number of references pending with us, and OTT communication is also in the line," Lohti was quoted by TOI.
Continuing, he stated, "The OTT consultation was initiated after the recommendation of a parliamentary committee so this consultation will be completed, and we will give our recommendations… which act it becomes a part of and which ministry or which regulator deals with it, is a separate matter."
The Lok Sabha passed the Telecommunications Bill, 2023, through a voice vote in December last year. "The bill [seeks] to amend and consolidate the law relating to development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services and telecommunication networks; assignment of spectrum; and for connected matters," communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while introducing the bill.
The bill replaced the Indian Telegraph Act (1885) and the Wireless Telegraphy Act (1933). Industry bodies such as the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Broadband India Forum (BIF) welcomed the bill. However, some MPs and technology activists expressed concern on three fronts: inclusion of "online services" including OTT messaging ones; stringent user verification norms; and fears of heightened surveillance.
The Internet Society, in a statement following the passage of the bill, emphasized, "The Bill must contain provisions for distinguishing between traditional telecom services and Internet-based services."
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