TRAI to tighten rules to curb spam calls: Rediff Moneynews

New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI) TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti on Wednesday said the telecom regulator will review and tighten regulations to curb nuisance spam calls.

Tightening regulations on nuisance calls has been high on the agenda of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, with the regulator hardening its stance on the issue amid a growing number of consumer complaints about unsolicited messages from unauthorised telemarketers.

“We have had interaction with service providers on spam calls and that is the next thing on our table. We will work seriously… we will plug any loopholes that people find in the existing regulations to tighten (controls) on spam calls,” Lahoti said on the sidelines of India SatCom 2024 organised by Broadband India Forum (BIF).

TRAI held a meeting on Tuesday and gave a strong message to service providers and telemarketers, urging them to take effective measures to curb mass communication through voice calls.

As part of the crackdown, the regulator turned to all interested parties, in particular access service providers (telecommunication companies) and telemarketers delivering parcels.

Immediate actions include implementing technical solutions to enable call tracking and prevent mass calls from corporate customers using 10-digit numbers.

Asked about the rising number of telephone scams and frauds and the proposed action, Lahoti said a joint committee of regulators is working together to address the issue.

“TRAI’s role is to check spam calls. If it is a fraudster or a scammer… it also becomes an enforcement issue where the Ministry of Home Affairs… and the financial sector regulator also play a role,” he said.

Asked whether tougher criminal penalties could be an effective deterrent, he replied: “We will review the laws to make them strong and very strict in terms of controlling spam… As for fraud, that is covered by the law.”