Telecom Commission to be called Digital Communications Commission

Telecom Commission, the telecom department’s highest decision making body, was renamed to Digital Communications Commission by the government on Monday.

The official notification said, “To ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the National Digital Communications Policy 2018, the government has decided to re-designate the ‘Telecom Commission’, established by the government of India vide resolution dated Apr. 11, 1989, as the ‘Digital Communications Commission.”

The decision to rename Telecom Commission was carried out to fulfill the objectives of NDCP (National Digital Communications Policy) to project telecommunications as a business-enabling segment that permeates across various sectors.

But notification didn't say if there will be any change in the composition of the commission with the change in name. As the composition of this apex decision making body at Telecom Department is as follows: a chairman, four full-time members, who are ex-officio secretaries to the government of India in the Department of Telecom, and four part-time members who are the secretaries to the government of India in the concerned departments.

The telecom secretary acts as the ex-officio chairperson of the telecom commission and full-time members of the panel consists of a member (finance), a member (production), a a member (services) and a member (technology).

CEO of Niti Aayog, Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs , DeiTy secretary and DIPP secretary are also the part-time members of the body.