Govt extends deadline till for public comments on draft guidelines to curb spam calls, messages

The government on Thursday extended the deadline for submission of public comments on draft guidelines to curb unsolicited business communications like promotional calls and text messages to August 8.

The food and consumer affairs ministry in a statement said that the extension was granted in view of requests received from various federations, associations and other stakeholders.

The earlier deadline was July 21.

The ministry said it has received various suggestions and comments which are presently under examination.

The draft guidelines, prepared after consultations with stakeholders including telecom firms and regulators, define "business communication" as any communication related to goods or services like promotional and service messages but exclude personal communication.

Key features of the draft guidelines include: it will apply to all entities making or benefiting from such communications; classify communications as unsolicited if they don't comply with recipient consent or preferences; and bar communications that violate telecom regulator TRAI's rules on commercial messages.

The ministry said the draft guidelines aim to address unregistered marketers using private numbers, which remain unregulated despite TRAI's 2018 rules for registered telemarketers.

The ministry also stated that while the 'Do Not Disturb' registry has been effective for registered telemarketers, communications from unregistered sources remain unchecked.

The draft guidelines seek to protect consumers from invasive and unauthorised marketing, according to the statement.