TRAI says “no” regulation for OTT for now

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has said there will “not” be any regulatory intervention in OTT sector for now.

The regulator in its recommendations on “Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT) Communications Services” said market forces may be allowed to respond to the situation without prescribing any regulatory intervention. However, developments shall be monitored and intervention, as felt necessary, shall be done at an appropriate time.

“No regulatory interventions are required in respect of issues related with privacy and security of OTT services at the moment,” it said.

TRAI said it is not an opportune moment to recommend a comprehensive regulatory framework for various aspects of services referred to as OTT services, beyond the extant laws and regulations prescribed presently. It may be looked into afresh when more clarity emerges in international jurisdictions particularly the study undertaken by ITU.

BestMediaInfo.com, on July 22, wrote how TRAI’s overreach to become the third master of OTT sector is fallacious and unwarranted when sources informed us that the regulator was preparing to issue a consultation paper for the video OTT sector at any time although its two consultation papers (March 2015 and November 2018) have not yet seen the light of the day.

Since the video OTT sector was made a part of these two consultation papers, it looks safe from any regulation for now along with OTT communication services — at least until the regulator goes ahead with its plan to issue a separate consultation paper for the video OTT sector.

Also read: Cable TV operators do not need TRAI’s protection, they need protection from TRAI

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