The Department of Telecom (DoT) is reportedly planning to clip some powers of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) on framing licence guideline and enforcement condition, which includes service quality monitoring and network parameters etc.
An Economic Times report citing sources, claims an internal DoT committee that is working on TRAI Act Amendment believes the department should be taking care of enforcing licence terms and conditions instead of the TRAI. The department should be also responsible for monitoring service quality and telecom network parameters.
The committee also supports changes in TRAI Act that allows regulators to recommend licence revocation on the grounds of non-compliance of terms and conditions.
According to the report, the TRAI earlier this month recommended giving licences to new players who have won spectrum in November 2012 bidding. The body also made recommendations that the licences of new players should be “subect to cancellation after fourth major violation, among others”.
The report notes the some points mentioned in recommendations made by the regulator were different from the DoT had committed in the “ legally binding document ‘Notice Inviting Application’ to the bidders participating in the auction”.
The access services cell of DoT, according to sources, has submitted that “it has been noted TRAI has, in the past, made recommendations on new licence regime…These recommendations have only provided broad framework of the licence regime and detailed licences condition have been drawn in the DoT.”
At present, the TRAI has laid down norms that telecom operators are supposed to abide by in terms of providing services to consumers and monitors deficiency in calls, Internet speed, consumer complaint redressal etc.
Reports that the DoT is planning to cut some powers of the TRAI come amidst buzz for the next spectrum auctions to be held in March this year. An Empowered Group of Minister (EgoM) has already proposed a 30-50 percent cut in base price, learning lessons from the flop November 2012 spectrum bidding. According to Union minister Kapil Sibal, the government will be taking a final call on the base price within in three weeks.
“I think it’s a positive sign and I am sure that just as the previous auction process was completed without any problem the new auctions will also be completed within the time-frame and before the end of March,”said Sibal, while lauding the apext court’s verdict on extending January 18 deadline.
Source: Economic Times
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