New Delhi: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has urged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to avoid introducing any licensing or authorisation framework for Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) and Application-Based Linear Television Distribution (ALTD) services, arguing that such platforms are fundamentally internet-based applications rather than traditional broadcasting networks.
In its response to TRAI’s consultation paper titled Formulation of a Regulatory Framework for ALTD Services (Including FAST Services), IAMAI contended that both ALTD and FAST services function at the application layer over the open internet and therefore should not be subjected to the regulatory architecture designed for conventional broadcasting distribution platforms.
According to the association, these services neither own nor control transmission infrastructure, spectrum or last-mile delivery networks. Instead, they rely on users’ internet service providers for data transmission, making them distinct from traditional Distribution Platform Operators (DPOs), which operate closed distribution networks. As a result, IAMAI argued that the spectrum scarcity principle underlying broadcast regulation is not applicable to internet-delivered services.
IAMAI also maintained that subjecting FAST and ALTD platforms to broadcasting-style licensing would run contrary to the government’s existing legal framework for digital content. It pointed out that the Telecommunications Act, 2023 deliberately excluded over-the-top (OTT) services from telecom regulation, reflecting Parliament’s intent to keep internet-based content platforms outside its scope.
Reinforcing this position, the association referred to the statement made by the then Union Minister of Communications during the passage of the Telecommunications Act, who had clarified that OTT services continue to be governed under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and are not covered under the new telecom legislation.
The industry body further noted that online curated content is already regulated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) through the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Introducing an additional broadcasting authorisation regime, it said, would effectively extend regulation to online content providers in a manner that circumvents the legislative intent behind the Telecommunications Act.
IAMAI also cautioned that many providers offering FAST channels operate across multiple international markets using standardised technology platforms and content distribution systems. Imposing a separate India-specific licensing framework, it argued, would increase regulatory complexity and compliance costs while offering limited consumer benefits. Such a move, the association warned, could discourage investment, slow innovation and reduce consumers’ access to diverse content offerings.
Rather than expanding regulatory obligations to internet-based services, IAMAI recommended that policymakers focus on easing compliance requirements for traditional broadcasting and distribution platforms. It said regulatory parity should be achieved by modernising and simplifying outdated tariff and compliance norms applicable to legacy broadcasting businesses instead of extending those obligations to digital streaming services built on the open internet.
