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GoM clears draft convergence bill, looks at super regulator
The group of ministers (GoM) on information technology and telecom, headed by finance minister Yashwant Sinha, on Tuesday approved the draft Communications and Convergence Bill 2001 setting in motion the process of creating a super regulator which will have the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the proposed broadcasting authority subservient to it.
Everything connected with telecommunication and broadcasting, and other communications, including all aspects of convergence in these services, would come under the commission’s purview.
The super regulator, to be called the Communications Commission of India (CCI), will be established on the lines of the Federal Communications Commission of the US, according to the Business Standard. The draft bill was based on the recommendations made by a panel led by legal expert Fali S Nariman.
The CCI will be empowered to issue all licences, including composite licences for communication facilities and services, to facilitate and regulate all aspects of telecom, broadcasting and other communication including all aspects of convergence in these services, to determine regulations, codes and technical standards, to determine and levy license fee wherever required and to determine tariff and rates for licensed services wherever necessary, the Hindu Businessline reported.
The passage of the Bill involves the repeal of at least five laws and also covers certain aspects of the Information Act 2000 that are administered by the telecom, IT and broadcasting Ministries. The proposed Bill is likely to deal with the consolidation and management of the provisions of the Indian Telegraphs Act, 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933, the Telegraph Wire Unlawful Possession Act, 1950 and the TRAI.
It will also lead to the repeal of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, which is under the purview of the I&B Ministry.
So is the era of convergence finally at hand? Not just yet and maybe not for a while if the government’s record on the matter thus far is anything to go by.
IT Minister Pramod Mahajan has promised the bill, which has over 100 clauses, will be introduced in Parliament in the first week of May.
Before that it will first be put on the Web to get feedback from various sections of the industry.
This is supposed to happen within a week. The responses are expected to come in by 25 February. Nariman is then expected to scrutinise the responses and the GoM is to meet again in April to incorporate any changes, if required.
If there are no differences within the GoM at that stage, the bill will be placed before the cabinet in April-end and in the first week of May, it is scheduled to be introduced in Parliament. The bill will then be sent to the standing committee, and is expected to be passed either in the winter session of 2001 or in the Budget session of 2002.
Mahajan has said the bill will be implemented in its full form in early 2002. That is the schedule as of now. How the whole thing finally unravels we’ll have to wait and watch.
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Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
