"No More File-Passing Bureaucracy!" Government Moves to Scrap 37-Year-Old Telecom Commission to Fast-Track Mega Mobile & Spectrum Decisions!

In a major administrative clean-up to slash government red tape, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has officially begun seeking Union Cabinet approval to dissolve the Digital Communication Commission (DCC). Established in 1989 as the Telecom Commission and renamed in 2018, this apex inter-ministerial body has spent nearly four decades as the supreme authority deciding India's multi-crore telecom policies, spectrum auction prices, and regulatory recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The decision to disband the heavyweight body comes as key leadership seats-including Member (Technology) and Member (Services)-have remained vacant with no plans to refill them, while Member (Finance) Manish Sinha is set to retire in February 2027. In the past, clearing big telecom proposals required lengthy consensus among senior secretaries from the DoT, NITI Aayog, the Finance Ministry, and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Under the new streamlined setup, files will bypass multi-member commission reviews entirely; the Telecom Secretary will take direct decisions at the DoT level, forwarding approvals straight to the Union Communications Minister and the Cabinet.