Consumer Affairs Ministry Seeks Public Input on New Guidelines to Curb Unsolicited Business Communications

The Consumer Affairs Ministry has released draft guidelines to limit unsolicited business communications, seeking public comments until July 21. The guidelines, targeting promotional calls and texts, outline conditions under which communication is deemed unauthorized, aiming to protect consumers. These regulations focus particularly on unregistered telemarketers using private numbers.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry on Thursday invited public feedback on draft guidelines designed to curb unsolicited and unwanted business communications, such as promotional calls and text messages. The public can comment until July 21.

Prepared after discussions with stakeholders including telecom firms and regulators, the guidelines define 'business communication' as any messaging related to goods or services, specifically excluding personal communication.

The guidelines will apply to all who make or engage others in business communications, labeling any non-compliant communication as unsolicited and unwanted. Unauthorized communications include those from unregistered numbers, lack of digital consent, and missing opt-out options.

The proposals also emphasize adherence to the Telecom Regulations Authority of India (Trai) rules. While Trai's 2018 rules have curbed unwanted communication from registered telemarketers, unregistered marketers using private 10-digit numbers persist. The guidelines aim to protect consumers from such invasive marketing practices.

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