National Digital Communications Policy 2018

By RV Anuradha and Trishna Menon*

The approval of the National Digital Communications Policy, 2018 ('NDCP' or 'Policy') by the Cabinet on September 26, 2018, replacing the National Telecom Policy 2012, is a key milestone in the telecom sector. The Cabinet has also approved the renaming of the Telecom Commission as the 'Digital Communications Commission.' The shift in terminology reflects the blurring of regulatory lines between multiple emerging industries: information technology/the Internet, telecommunications, and television broadcasting.

India in fact had considered a law titled "Convergence Bill" in the early 2000s, which provided a common framework for addressing telecommunications and broadcasting. While the law did not get passed at that time, the NDCP appears to be crystallising the understanding that evolution of technology would require a common regulatory framework.