📋 Tender Overview
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRAI has today released the recommendations on Ease of Doing Business in Telecom and Broadcasting Sector.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 need to be enabled. Government is striving to improve the business environment at every stage across all the sectors. As a sector Regulator it is incumbent upon TRAI to improve the business environment in the telecom and broadcasting sector.The TRAI has suo-moto floated a Consultation paper on Ease of Doing Business in telecom and Broadcasting Sector on December 08 2021. Previously it undertook EoDB consultation mainly specific to DoT and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting MIB. However the current exercise spans across multiple ministriesdepartments. The EoDB requires comprehensive review of end-to-end processes with Whole of the government approach. One application one window should suffice for all Inter-ministerial approvals.Written comments and counter-comments on the Consultation Paper were invited from the stakeholders by February 09 2022 and February 232022 respectively. The Authority received 45 comments and four counter comments from various stakeholders. All these comments and counter comments are available on the TRAI website www.trai.gov.in. An Open House Discussion OHD was also convened on the issues raised in the Consultation Paper on April 21 2022 through online mode.This comprehensive exercise on EoDB entailed deeper analysis. The application process compliance process information submission and payment process through the life-cycle of licenses have been studied. Questions like what and why for each of the process have been raised. Keeping with its tradition the TRAI displayed all comments and counter-comments on its website. It is heartening to note that some policy makers have actively pursued the stakeholders pain points. The TRAI team engaged with the respective officersofficials. This collaborative and conciliatory approach has already started helping policy makers to identify redundant processes information. Already quite-a-few reforms have been undertaken by Department of Telecommunications DoT and MIB. These initiatives are praiseworthy.The EoDB is not a one-time activity. It is a continuous process. Therefore the TRAI through these recommendations proposes the establishment of a standing committee with focus on EoDB. It remains committed to create and nurture conditions for orderly growth of the two sectors. The recommendations strive to create a process-based approach on EoDB. The TRAI envisions that such an eco-system will pave way for a periodic review and further reforms. The quick implementation of these recommendations will engender growth of these sectors.The salient features of these recommendations are as belowA user-friendly transparent and responsive digital single window system based portal should be established. The portal should be enabled with new digital technologies for achieving 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 ease of doing business as an on-going activity.MIB DoT DOS MeitY and other agencies should specify stage-wise timelines for all the processes including initial as well as 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 Broadcasting and Cable Services Sector.WPC should charge the spectrum royalty fee for temporary uplinking of live events on pro-rata basis for actual number of days of the event.Further for enablement of LCOsA simple mobile app should be developed by MIB for registration of LCOs. Request for cancellation before five years should also be enabled.The RoW portal GatiShakti Sanchar Portal should incorporate all the service providers including LCOs. The DoT should enable RoW approvals for LCOs also in consultation with MIB. A hyperlink button icon should be provided on the portal and app to reach the RoW portal.The MIB should maintain common database of registered LCOs. List of the registered LCOs should also be made available to the public at large.In terms and conditions of the DoT License Agreement for Unified LicenseThe lawful interception monitoring demonstration of a new service in a single network may take place centrally at one LSA location.There should be a module in the single window portal to comply with the end-to-end requirements of rollout obligation process.The process of request for Remote Access to network from foreign locations and approval by DoT should be made online and time-bound.For reducing the compliance burden on ISPsGovernment may revise the periodicity for submission by the ISPs for providing the details of ISP Nodes or Points of Presence PoP with their locations and number of broadband leased dial up subscribers to once every year.The website blocking process should be incorporated on the single window portal.For laying and repair of submarine cablesSubmarine cable laying and repair in Indian Territorial Water and Exclusive Economic Zones EEZ of India and Cable Landing Stations in India should be classified as Critical and Essential services.Permissions of laying operations and maintenance of submarine cables network should also be made online as a part of SaralSanchar portal.A committee should review the international best practices and feasibility for identifying and declaring special corridor in Indian marine context.The process of surrender of DoT license issuance of NOC and release of Bank Guarantees to the service providers should be made simple online and time-bound.
