Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare announced on Friday that the department will soon release guidelines to curb spam calls and messages, aiming to protect consumer interests. In June, the Department of Consumer Affairs introduced draft guidelines to address the issue of unsolicited commercial calls and promotional messages.
“The Department of Consumer Affairs began work on preventing pesky calls, engaging with all stakeholders,” Khare said at a CII event. She noted that the Department of Telecommunications is also drafting rules, adding, “We slowed down to ensure the sector regulator is fully empowered.”
The telecom industry has requested specific guidelines under the Consumer Protection Act to safeguard consumer interests. “We are working on it and will soon release the guidelines for preventing pesky calls,” Khare added.
Draft Guidelines and Industry Involvement
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) recently urged the department to finalize the draft guidelines, which were developed after consultations with telecom companies and regulators.
The draft guidelines define “business communication” as any communication related to goods or services, such as promotional and service messages, but exclude personal communications. They apply to all entities involved in or benefiting from such communications, classify non-compliant communications as unsolicited, and prohibit violations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) rules on commercial messages.
The guidelines also address the issue of unregistered marketers using private numbers, which remain unregulated despite TRAI’s 2018 rules for registered telemarketers.
Tackling Unchecked Communications
While the ‘Do Not Disturb’ registry has been effective for registered telemarketers, communications from unregistered sources remain a challenge. The draft guidelines aim to protect consumers from invasive and unauthorized marketing practices.
TRAI had previously issued rules in 2018 to combat spam calls and messages but introduced stricter directives this year, implemented in phases with some modifications. As part of these measures, TRAI has set December 11 as the deadline for implementing mechanisms to trace messages and block those that fail to comply with the guidelines.
