Telecommunication And Broadcasting Laws In India

Introduction

Telecommunication and broadcasting laws in India is a specialized area of law, which has changed from the state-controlled monopoly to a very complex regulatory environment managed through different statutes and a tribunal system. Telecommunication has been defined as the science of transmitting and receiving information, including signs, signals, writing, images and sounds, over long distances using electronic means such as wires, radio or satellite.

The legal foundation of the sector has mainly been from colonial laws, firstly, the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, which provided the federal government with extensive regulatory powers and a monopoly over telegraph and telephone services. Besides this, there was the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1993, which controlled the possession and licensing of broadcast equipment, and The Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950, the objective of which was limiting the possession of telegraph wires so as