Government dissolves 37-year-old Digital Communications Commission with immediate effect

The government has notified the dissolution of the Digital Communications Commission (DCC), the Department of Telecommunications' apex decision-making body that has handled policy matters and proposals with significant financial implications for nearly 37 years.

"The Government of India has decided that the Digital Communications Commission be dissolved. Now, therefore, with effect from the date of publication of this resolution, the Digital Communications Commission shall stand dissolved," a notification dated September 19 said.

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The body was established as the Telecom Commission in 1989 and renamed the Digital Communications Commission in 2018.

It comprised senior officials from NITI Aayog, the Finance Ministry, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and other government departments. The commission helped resolve complex telecom policy issues and finalised decisions on most matters before they were referred to the Cabinet for approval.

Its responsibilities included decisions on spectrum pricing and recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).

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The commission held its last meeting on September 3, when it finalised its decision on satellite communication (satcom) spectrum.

The DCC's decision on satcom spectrum is now awaiting Cabinet approval.

Elon Musk-led Starlink, Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Industries Ltd's Jio Satellite Communications have received permission to begin satcom services in India.

However, the companies cannot roll out their services until they receive spectrum allocation and the second stage of security clearance from security agencies.

The commission had approved most of the recommendations made by Trai, including those on key telecom matters.