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Telecommunication Bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha. Now those who buy fake SIMs are in trouble. After this, those buying fake SIMs may have to face imprisonment of up to 3 years and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh. This bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday 20 December.
In this bill, telecom companies have been asked to compulsorily do biometric identification before issuing SIM cards to consumers. This bill prohibits the government from taking over any telecom service or network from national security personnel.
Will have the right to manage or suspend. If any war-like situation occurs in future, the government can intercept messages on the telecom network.
This bill will replace the 138 year old Indian Telegraph Act. Which controls the telecom sector. Apart from this, this bill will also amend The Indian Wireless Telegraph Act 1933 and Telegraph Wires Act 1950 and TRI Act 1997.
There is a provision for administrative allocation of telecom spectrum during the day, which will speed up the start of services. The new bill will benefit foreign companies like American businessman Elon Musk's Sterling. But this may cause loss to companies like Jio.
Under this bill, it has also been made mandatory that before sending any promotional advertising message to any consumer, it will be necessary to obtain his consent. A separate online mechanism will also be created for the consumer to lodge his complaint. Over the top services like e-commerce online messaging have been kept out of the scope of this bill.
In this bill, over-the-top services such as e-commerce online messaging have been kept out of the definition of telecom services. Last year, when the draft of the Telecommunication Bill was presented, OTT services were also included in it. Internet companies and civil society had created a huge uproar regarding this. After this, OTT has been excluded from this bill.
