The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on May 02, 2023, released the recommendations on "Ease of Doing Business in Telecom and Broadcasting Sector".
The Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) has been identified as one of the focus areas of Government in the recent decade. EoDB is a recognition of the fact that business. and enterprise needs to be enabled. The government strives to improve the business environment at every stage across all sectors. As a sector Regulator, it is incumbent upon TRAI to improve the business environment in the telecom and broadcasting sector.
The salient features of these recommendations are as stated:
• A user-friendly, transparent, responsive digital single window system-based portal should be established. New digital technologies should enable the portal to achieve end-to-end inter-departmental online processes.
• Each Ministry should establish a standing EODB Committee to regularly review, simplify and update the existing processes and ensure the case of doing business as an ongoing activity.
• MIB, DoT, DOS, MeitY and other agencies should specify stage-wise timelines for all the processes including initial and additional permissions, which should be mentioned in the respective Guidelines/ policy and updated in the Citizen Charter.
• The Government may consider and grant Infrastructure Status to the 'Broadcasting and Cable Services Sector'.
• WPC should charge the spectrum royalty fee for the temporary up linking of live events on a pro-rata basis for an actual number of days of the event.
• The process of surrendering of DoT license, issuing of NOC and release of Bank Guarantees to the service providers should be made simple, online, and time-bound.
• 100% verification of LF and SUC should be replaced with sample base deduction verification based on appropriate scientific statistical models.
• Requirement of additional SACFA clearance for the exact mobile network site/ tower location should be replaced with an intimation on the Saral Sanchar portal. o. The process of getting scrutiny-based Equipment Type Approval (ETA) from WPC should be made online and time-bound. A definite timeline should be prescribed with the provision of deemed approval.
• DoT should formulate a working group to study and exempt ETA/ Import License for devices having wireless sensors emitting very low power below a prescribed level.
The Link - Recommendations on Ease of Doing Business in the Telecom and Broadcasting Sector.
[Notification No. 37/2023]
