Regulating OTT falls under the I&B ministry’s purview: Jyotiraditya Scindia

New Delhi: - Union Minister for Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia, has clarified that the regulation of Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B). 

This statement comes in response to ongoing debates regarding the financial responsibilities of OTT platforms towards telecom service providers (TSPs).

As per the news reports, Scindia emphasised that while OTT regulation is within the domain of the I&B Ministry, the concerns raised by telecom operators about cost-sharing are being discussed by one of his advisory groups. 

"That is something that, to be very candid, comes under the domain of the Ministry of I&B (information & broadcasting). Having said that, I have six advisory groups that I have set up and this concept has come up as an issue that they would like to discuss from the point of view of the TSPs," Scindia remarked.

The discussion stems from telecom operators' calls for OTT platforms to contribute to the infrastructure costs they incur while delivering content to consumers. This has sparked a broader conversation about net neutrality, with critics arguing that any payment system could lead to preferential treatment of certain platforms, potentially undermining the internet's democratic nature.