Overview
- The National Assembly approved the Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganization (Amendment) Bill and sent it to the Senate for further review, a step reported in mid-June by multiple outlets.
- The draft Section 27A would give licensed telecom firms access to public and private land for fibre, towers and related kit and create 'deemed' approvals if owners or authorities do not respond within set timeframes.
- Section 27B would let the government fine owners or bodies up to Rs50 million for obstructing access and require disputes to be settled by a government-nominated officer within 45 days.
- The Senate Standing Committee on IT has deferred the bill and obtained a 45-day extension to examine contested clauses after senators and rights groups warned the measures could undermine property rights and skip environmental checks for installations in public spaces.
- The package also proposes to make the National Telecommunication Corporation a more autonomous state-owned enterprise under the SOE Act, 2023, and supporters say the reforms would speed fibreization and 5G readiness while critics call for tighter safeguards and clearer limits on company powers.