Parliament Passes Telecom Bill 2023 (Image: Pixabay)

The controversial Telecommunications Bill, 2023, received approval in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, December 21. The Bill, permitting the central government to temporarily take control of telecom services in the interest of national security, was passed through a voice vote by the Lok Sabha on December 20. Notably, the Telecom Bill will become law once it secures President Droupadi Murmu”s assent.

The Telecommunications Bill is aiming to replace the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950, the Indian Telegraph Act 1885, and the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933. The Bill aims to create a legal and regulatory framework for a safe telecom network. The Bill has hit headlines as it seeks to give the central government power to suspend, take control of, or manage any telecommunications service or network in cases of public emergency or in the interest of public safety.

The Economic Times reported that under this bill, the Centre can halt transmission and intercept messages ‘during public emergencies to prevent incitement for committing offenses’. Notably, under the Telecom Bill 2023, messages from accredited mediapersons are safeguarded from interception, unless their transmission has been prohibited under rules applicable for public emergencies.

Minister of Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Bill will promote structural reforms in the telecom sector. While introducing the Bill, Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that it seeks to amend and consolidate the law relating to the development, expansion, and operation of telecommunication services and telecommunication networks. The Telecommunications Bill, 2023, includes significant changes in the allocation of spectrum for satellite broadband services, in which spectrum for such services can be assigned at administered prices without any auction.