The government will continue with the existing provisions of the Trai Act<\/a>, said communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw<\/a>, allaying concerns over dilution of the telecom<\/a> regulator's powers. He said the government, in fact, planned to further strengthen the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India<\/a> (Trai<\/a>) with penal powers in the coming years.Vaishnaw, also minister for information technology and railways, told ET in an interview that the new IT rules notified on Friday were primarily aimed at protecting users as social media platforms were not investing enough in safeguarding them from online harm.

The second aim was to put the onus on platforms to proactively remove harmful posts that promote violence, crime, or child pornography, and prevent unauthorised use of copyrighted material.

The minister added that the draft of the revised digital data protection bill was ready, having addressed most of the concerns raised, and that the government looks to get it passed in the budget session.

\"The issue (around Trai) has been resolved. Basis our discussions with Trai, we will continue with the existing provisions in the Trai Act as of now,\" Vaishnaw told ET.

He stressed that the intent of the changes to the Trai Act under the draft
Indian Telecommunication Bill<\/a>, 2022, was to simplify time-consuming processes and not to weaken the regulator. \"Trai needs more teeth, power to punish, power to enforce,\" he said. \"It needs a strong technical, legal, and financial team. So, we will take a comprehensive look at the role and structure of Trai.\"

According to experts, the removal of certain provisions such as Section 11 of the Trai Act would have robbed the regulator of its powers and reduced it to just a recommendatory body.

Apart from the Trai issue, Vaishnaw cleared the confusion on over-the-top (OTT) communication services. He reiterated that the
Department of Telecommunications<\/a> (DoT) only intends to regulate apps that provide communication services, and that too, through light-touch oversight. \"The definition of OTT will be made clear in the revised bill,\" the minister said.

<\/p>

\"DoT<\/a><\/figure>

DoT may bring back key clause to allay Trai fears<\/a><\/h2>

A revised version of the draft, to be brought out in the coming days after getting comments from stakeholders, will reinstate this provision - Section 11 of the Trai Act - as well as clearly define over-the-top (OTT) communication players and make tweaks to the ways of spectrum allotment, in a bid to give more clarity and resolve any misgivings.<\/p><\/div>

The government will continue with the existing provisions of the Trai Act<\/a>, said communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw<\/a>, allaying concerns over dilution of the telecom<\/a> regulator's powers. He said the government, in fact, planned to further strengthen the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India<\/a> (Trai<\/a>) with penal powers in the coming years.Vaishnaw, also minister for information technology and railways, told ET in an interview that the new IT rules notified on Friday were primarily aimed at protecting users as social media platforms were not investing enough in safeguarding them from online harm.

The second aim was to put the onus on platforms to proactively remove harmful posts that promote violence, crime, or child pornography, and prevent unauthorised use of copyrighted material.

The minister added that the draft of the revised digital data protection bill was ready, having addressed most of the concerns raised, and that the government looks to get it passed in the budget session.

\"The issue (around Trai) has been resolved. Basis our discussions with Trai, we will continue with the existing provisions in the Trai Act as of now,\" Vaishnaw told ET.

He stressed that the intent of the changes to the Trai Act under the draft
Indian Telecommunication Bill<\/a>, 2022, was to simplify time-consuming processes and not to weaken the regulator. \"Trai needs more teeth, power to punish, power to enforce,\" he said. \"It needs a strong technical, legal, and financial team. So, we will take a comprehensive look at the role and structure of Trai.\"

According to experts, the removal of certain provisions such as Section 11 of the Trai Act would have robbed the regulator of its powers and reduced it to just a recommendatory body.

Apart from the Trai issue, Vaishnaw cleared the confusion on over-the-top (OTT) communication services. He reiterated that the
Department of Telecommunications<\/a> (DoT) only intends to regulate apps that provide communication services, and that too, through light-touch oversight. \"The definition of OTT will be made clear in the revised bill,\" the minister said.

<\/p>

\"DoT<\/a><\/figure>

DoT may bring back key clause to allay Trai fears<\/a><\/h2>

A revised version of the draft, to be brought out in the coming days after getting comments from stakeholders, will reinstate this provision - Section 11 of the Trai Act - as well as clearly define over-the-top (OTT) communication players and make tweaks to the ways of spectrum allotment, in a bid to give more clarity and resolve any misgivings.<\/p><\/div>