Unsolicited calls to nag you for one more month

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in its second amendment to guidelines to curb unsolicited calls and SMS has postponed the deadlines and announced that it would be implemented from January 15 and February 1, 2011, which means a delay of one month.

“Having regard to security audit of the website and other processes involved, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has found it necessary to re-determine the dates for implementation of the aforesaid regulations. Accordingly, TRAI has issued 'The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2010' today,” said the regulator in a statement.

According to the provisions of these regulations, telemarketers' registration shall commence from January 15, 2011 and other provisions shall come into force from February 1, 2011, mentioned the statement issued by TRAI.

TRAI on December 1, 2010 had come out with TCCCPR 2010 which had 25 regulations under it. Regulation 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 were required to be implemented with effect from December 15, 2010 while regulation 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 were required to be implemented with effect from January 1, 2011.

The regulations that were to be implemented from December 15, 2010 were mainly about setting up of infrastructure and facilities to ensure the execution of steps for putting check on unsolicited calls and SMS.

The regulations to be implemented from January 1, 2011, talked about setting up of customer preference registration facility, provide customer preference register, contents of the provider customer preference register, national customer preference register, registration of preference, change of preference of subscribers, de-registration, updating of content in national customer preference register by access providers, charge, commercial communications by subscribers, blacklisting of telemarketer, setting up of customer complaint registration facility, obligations of the access providers, power of authority to order inquiry, consequences for failure of access providers to stop unsolicited commercial communications.

Anyhow, now one thing is clear. This new year too would welcome you with an unsolicited call before your dear ones come with their new year wishes! Pray for a new year without pesky calls!