The Joint Parliamentary Committee on spectrum allocations gave a number of suggestions to deal with issues facing the telecom sector but did not come up with the specifics.
Other than making some general recommendations, the panel did not suggest any actionable amendments to the existing policies at the sector, including for future spectrum allocations.
The draft report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee has called for strengthening the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act. It said the TRAI Act should be amended to incorporate provisions to ensure that a harmonious balance is maintained between the Regulator and the Licensor while treating the recommendations from TRAI.
The panel asked the Centre that TRAI’s recommendations need to be accorded due weightage.
“An Independent Regulator cannot be effective if its recommendations are to be left entirely at the mercy of the Government,” the draft report said.
The panel said spectrum pricing would have to be reviewed in a dynamic manner and determined periodically in the context of growth in tele-density, relative demand and supply and level playing field for the service providers.
“The Committee desires that the question of allocation and pricing of spectrum be referred to TRAI for a comprehensive review…” the report added.
The panel noted that there was no mechanism to ensure optimal utilisation of the spectrum by the service providers. The Committee suggested that to ensure optimal utilisation of assigned bandwidth, TRAI should undertake spectrum audit at the earliest.
“The guidelines for spectrum audit should contain a provision for penalty for hoarding of excess spectrum and also for taking back excess spectrum, if found,” the draft report added.
The committee said rollout of services is another area that requires stringent monitoring and corrective measures on the part of the Licensor and the Regulator.