Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund | 17 Jan 2020

Recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has directed telecom service providers to put all unclaimed subscriber money in consumer protection fund.

TRAI has notified the amendment to the Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund (TCEPF) regulations to remove any kind of ambiguity and facilitate deposit of any unclaimed money of the consumer.
With this amendment service provider will deposit any unclaimed consumer money of any form such as excess charges, security deposit, plan charges of failed activations, or any amount belonging to a consumer, which service providers are unable to refund to consumers.
It provides a time of 12 months or period of limitation specified under law whichever is later, after which unclaimed consumer money should be deposited to the fund.
Ambiguity before the amendment: While some service providers were depositing money only on account of excess billing, others were depositing unclaimed money such as security deposits and plan charges of failed activations.
Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund Regulations were notified in 2007
- The income from the fund is utilised for programmes and activities relating to consumer education and protection.