PTA not in favour of reviewing telecom policy

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is reportedly not in favour of reviewing Telecom Policy 2015 as recommended by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), which categorically had declared that empowering the PTA to regulate competition related matters in the telecom sector will not only create duplication of jurisdictions but it will also engender legal uncertainty for the telecom operators. The ministry of information technology and telecommunication has not so far taken any action on the policy note of the CCP.
The CCP spokesperson confirmed that no response has so far been received from the IT ministry in this regard. According to sources in the PTA, the authority is not in the favour of reviewing Telecom Policy 2015, while saying that it has its own mechanism under the telecom Act where it can regulate competition regulations for telecom sector.
However, the official maintained that reviewing the policy is the jurisdiction of the IT ministry and any decision by the ministry would be final in this regard. So far, the IT ministry has not issued any instructions or directions that it has rejected the policy note of the CCP or endorsed the same.
However, according to the IT ministry spokesperson, the ministry has engaged its legal team to review the CCP policy note, after which final decision could be taken. The CCP''s policy note to the IT ministry recommended reviewing the Telecom Policy 2015 as the competition rules for the sector in the said policy overlap with the jurisdiction of the CCP.
The CCP has observed that Clause 5.1 of the Telecom Policy 2015 formulated and issued by the ministry of information technology and telecom (MoIT) provides for making of competition rules exclusively for regulation of ex-post competition issues in the telecommunication sector by the PTA. The rules will provide a process for remedying the anti-competitive behaviours in both ex-ante and ex-post in the telecom industry. Whereas under the Competition Act, 2010 the CCP has precedence over the rules being framed by the MoIT, which is a subordinate legislation.
The CCP policy note said the Competition Act will prevail in an event of any conflict or overlap between the CCP''s mandate and that of any other regulatory or public body in Pakistan ''to the extent of matters covered under the Competition Act''. The CCP has said that empowering the PTA to regulate competition related matters in the telecom sector will not only create duplication of jurisdictions, but will also engender legal uncertainty for the telecom operators and consumers as well as wastage of state resources. The policy note concluded that the development of the rules by the MoIT will result in the negation of the exclusive mandate, enforcement powers and purpose on which the whole edifice of competition regime was built by the Parliament through the Competition Act and establishment of the Commission.