We missed this earlier: The Telegraph Act of 1885, the foundational legislation governing telecommunications in India, might get a wide-ranging amendment, Mint reported on March 8. The government is also reportedly planning on revamping the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933. These changes are designed to prepare the Indian government and telecom industry for 5G networks, Anshu Prakash, the Department of Telecommunications’s Secretary, told Mint. A team headed by the National Law University, Delhi’s vice-chancellor Srikrishna Deva Rao will come up with a draft of changes for public consultation, Prakash said. We have reached out to Rao and Prakash for comment.
The paper also reported that issues such as IoT connectivity and Net Neutrality might be addressed in the amendments.
This is just one in multiple ongoing efforts by the government to revamp laws to accommodate evolving technologies. For instance, the Intermediary Liability Rules were recently notified to regulate streaming services and messaging apps; the Cinematograph Bill, 2021 is in committee to address digital piracy; and the government is also in the process of amending the Copyright Act, though the particulars are not known due to the private nature of the consultations. The Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill is also scheduled to present its report in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
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