TRAI Seeks Public Feedback on Review of Telecom Commercial Communications Regulations

The paper also considers the introduction of differential tariffs for voice calls and SMS to discourage UCC.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a consultation paper today inviting public comments on the "Review of the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018" (TCCCPR-2018).

Introduced in February 2019, the TCCCPR-2018 aimed to curb Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC) by protecting consumers from unwanted promotional calls and messages, while allowing businesses to communicate with customers who have opted in or set preferences. However, issues have arisen during the implementation of these regulations. Key Issues Addressed in the Consultation Paper:

Definitions of Commercial Communications: Clarity on what constitutes commercial communication under the regulations.

Complaint Redressal Mechanisms: Enhancements to improve the process for addressing consumer complaints.

UCC Detection Systems: Evaluation and potential improvements to systems designed to detect UCC.

Financial Disincentives: Review of financial penalties for violations of the regulations.

Regulations for Senders and Telemarketers: Revisions to provisions governing the conduct of senders and telemarketers.

High Volume of Voice Calls and SMS: Analysis of the excessive number of voice calls and SMS messages.

TRAI is particularly interested in strengthening the regulations to tackle issues such as Unregistered Telemarketers (UTMs), improving complaint resolution, enhancing UCC detection, imposing stricter financial penalties, and potentially revising the regulatory framework for senders and telemarketers. The paper also considers the introduction of differential tariffs for voice calls and SMS to discourage UCC.

Public Participation

The consultation paper is available on the TRAI website at www.trai.gov.in. Stakeholders are invited to submit written comments by September 25, 2024, and counter-comments, if any, by October 09, 2024. Comments and counter-comments can be sent electronically to advqos@trai.gov.in.

For further information, Shri Jaipal Singh Tomar, Advisor (QoS-II), can be contacted via email at advqos@trai.gov.in.