TRAI notifies sixth amendment to TCEPF

The TRAI has amended some regulations to broaden the scope of the Telecommunication Consumer and Protection Fund (TCEPF), a fund used for running activities relating to telecom consumer education and protection.

The Authority has notified Telecommunication Consumer and Protection Fund (sixth amendment) Regulations 2024.

The Principal regulations i.e. the Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund Regulations, 2007 (6 of 2007) dated 15.06.2007 provide basic framework for depositing unclaimed money of consumers by Telecom Service Providers, maintenance of the Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund and other related aspects.

During the course of time need was felt to amend the Principal regulations regarding the following:

• Provision for utilisation of fund for expenses related to proper maintenance & audit of accounts, and for the participation of representatives of consumer groups for attending the meetings of the Committee for Utilization of Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund (CUTCEF).
• Permitting any scheduled bank for the purpose of depositing the amounts of the Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund.

In this regard, a draft amendment was released for comments on 24.07.2023. The Authority has however dismissed both these requests.

After considering the stakeholders’ comments, the Authority notified the sixth amendment to the principal regulations.

For complete details, https://trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/Regulation_14062024_1.pdf

BCS Bureau