The Telecom Regulatory Authority Of India (TRAI) has taken a stern stance over spam and pesky calls and messages. The regulator’s new rules prescribe fines ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh for repeated violations, including telecom operators misreporting the number of such calls.
TRAI has made it compulsory for operators to identify the pattern of such calls and messages based on criteria like high call volumes, short call durations, and incoming to outgoing calls.
The regulator amended Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations with graded penalties that would be slapped on telecom operators if they fail to implement the provisions of the norms.
If a telecom operator violates for the first time, it will have to pay Rs lakh, for the second such instance, the company will pay Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh will be paid by the operator for each case of subsequent violations and for misreporting the UCC count, as per the new ruling.
