New telecom bill doesn’t serve interests of any party: Minister Sharma

KATHMANDU: Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, has maintained that her ministry started formulating the draft of a new telecommunication bill only after reviving approval in principle from the cabinet.

The ministry is preparing a new bill to replace the existing Telecommunications Act of 1993. Many say that the ministry is drafting a new law to protect the interest of certain service providers.

Sharma, however, clarified that the bill is not being brought in collusion with any other parties. “The bill will first be tabled in parliament for needful discussion before it is introduced as a law,” she added. Sharma emphasized the need to update the law to align with the progress made in the telecommunications sector over the past two decades.

Furthermore, Sharma assured that the ministry will not engage in any collusive activities with telecommunication service providers. Each and every action of the ministry will be in accordance with the constitution and the laws, she added.