Telecom Bill 2023 OTT Apps Not Covered Under New Law Relief for Meta WhatsApp Signal and More All Details

Over-the-top (OTT) apps or services will not be under the purview of the newly passed Telecom Bill 2023. This information was given by Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to ET Telecom days after Parliament passed the new Telecom Bill. The new bill replaces three archaic laws, including the 138-year-old Indian Telegraph Act. The provisions under the new bill reduce the powers of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and give unprecedented powers to the government, including the ability to take over telecom services in the interest of national security.

After the Telecommunication Bill (2023) was passed on Thursday, concerns were raised about increased scrutiny and interference from the government over the inclusion of OTT communication apps such as WhatsApp and Signal within the ambit of the new telecom Bill, which is awaiting Presidential assent before becoming law.

,[…] There is no coverage of OTT in the new telecom bill passed by Parliament,” the minister told the publication. toldexplaining that these OTT apps currently fall under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and will continue to be regulated by the same law which is overseen by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Earlier this week, Meta reportedly expressed concerns over the telecom bill in an internal email to colleagues by Shivnath Thukral, director and head of India public policy at the company. The revised version of the Telecom Bill passed by Parliament does not reference OTT or OTT platforms, but mentions terms such as ‘telecom services’, ‘messaging’ and ‘telecom identifiers’, which could also apply to OTT platforms.

The Telecom Bill now awaits the President’s assent before it becomes law – a day after it was passed by the Lok Sabha, it was approved by a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The Bill is set to replace the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933 and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act of 1950.