Entry fee refund to telcos: DoT seeks legal opinion

DOT will clarify whether telecom operators who did not participate in the auction will be refunded

PTI | November 19, 2012



The Department of Telecommunications has again sought legal opinion on the matter of refunding entry fee to telecom operators whose licences were cancelled by the Supreme Court, after an EGoM decided to adjust fees of only those companies who win spectrum in the auction.

According to sources, DoT has asked for the Attorney General's opinion on "whether entry fee...paid by licencees whose licences have been ordered to be quashed by the Supreme Court needs to be refunded/released/adjusted to all the licencees, as requested by them, whether participating in auction or not?"

The Supreme Court had cancelled 122 telecom licences belonging to eight telecom operators in the 2G scam in February this year.

Of eight companies whose licences were cancelled, only three companies -- Idea Cellular, Videocon and Telenor (majority stakeholder in Uninor) -- participated and won spectrum in the auction held last week.

DoT in its communication to the Law Ministry has said that government had received legal notices from various companies which include Etisalat DB, Sistema Shyam, ByCell, S Tel, Loop Telecom among others, seeking protection of their investment.

Among these companies, it was only ByCell whose licences were revoked by government due to security reasons.

Attorney General in August 2012 had said that the need to refund licence fee paid by operators affected by SC judgement "does arise at this stage."

DoT wants clarity if there is case to refund money of telecom operators who did not participate in the auction and have sent notices or requested for refund of their money paid to the government following EGoM's decision in October.

 

Comments

 

Other News

India faces critical shortage of skin donors amid rising burn cases

India reports nearly 70 lakh burn injury cases every year, resulting in approximately 1.4 lakh deaths annually. Experts estimate that up to 50% of these lives could be saved with adequate access to skin donations.   A significant concern is that around 70% of burn victims fall wi

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That

When algorithms decide and children die

The images have not left me, of dead and wounded children being carried in the arms of the medics and relatives to the ambulances and hospitals. On February 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury, cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school – officially named a girls’ school, in Minab,

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres

India will be powerful, not aggressive: Bhaiyyaji

India is poised to emerge as a global power but will remain rooted in its civilisational ethos of non-aggression and harmony, former RSS General Secretary Suresh `Bhaiyyaji` Joshi has said.   He was speaking at the launch of “Rashtrabhav,” a book by Ravindra Sathe

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter