Question : FINANCIAL PENALTIES TO TELECOM COMPANIES

(a) whether the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has imposed financial disincentives on certain telecom service providers for violating the norms of the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation, 2010 in the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the names of companies and the details of violations made by them under the said regulations;

(c) whether any officials of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited has been found guilty in this regard;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the action taken/being taken by the Government in this regard?

THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & LAW AND JUSTICE (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a) Madam, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has imposed financial disincentives on telecom service providers for violations of the provisions of Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation, 2010, which provides for financial disincentives for the following:
(i) For failure to prevent Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC) originated from the service providers network by subscribers who are not registered with TRAI as a telemarketer - upto a maximum of Rs. 5,000/- for each valid complaint and

(ii) For contraventions of the provisions of the regulations - Rs. 1 lakh first contravention, Rs. 5 lakhs for second contravention and Rs. 10 lakhs for third and for each subsequent contravention.

(b) In accordance with the above provisions of the regulations, TRAI has imposed financial disincentive of Rs. 24,91,85,000 (Twenty Four Crore, Ninety one Lakhs and eighty five thousands only) on the following service providers till date:

M/s Bharti Airtel Limited M/s Aircel Limited M/s Vodafone Essar Mobile Services Limited M/s Idea Cellular Limited M/s Reliance Communications Limited M/s Reliance Telecom. Limited M/s Tata Teleservices Limited M/s Telewings Communications Services Private Limited (Formerly M/s Unitech Wireless Private Limited) M/s Videocon Telecommunications Limited M/s Sistema Shyam Teleservices Limited M/s Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited M/s Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited M/s Quadrant Televentures Limited M/s Loop Telecom. Limited

(c) to (e) No official of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) has been found guilty for violation of the provisions of Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation, 2010.