New Delhi. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued extensive guidelines on Friday to prevent illegal sales of radio equipment including walkie-talkie on e-commerce forums. The purpose of the new guidelines is to check the sale of the walkie-talkie being done without proper frequency disclosure, licensing information or equipment type approval (ETA). Sale of walkie-talkie without ETA is a violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Guidelines were prepared after extensive inter-ministerial consultation with the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) and the Ministry of Home Affairs. To ensure a coordinated approach, the major regulatory and safety ideas of both departments have been included. The CCPA said in the statement that it has been found that walkie-talks are being sold on e-commerce forums without compulsory and clear information regarding the requirement of 'wireless operating license' or compliance with applicable laws.

Walky Talkie Divis with Niyam
In the product 'listing' (presenting on stage) for walkie-talkie, it is not currently specified whether the equipment needs a license from the authorities concerned. Important details such as the Indian Telegraph Act 1885, Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933 and low power, very low power short range radio frequency device (licensing requirement) Rules, 2018, important details such as frequency range, licensing obligations are often abandoned.

The CCPA stated that the lack of disclosure misleads consumers in convincing that these devices can be used independently by the general public. It has been made mandatory in the new guidelines that only authorized and compliant walkie-talkie equipment (which work on permissible frequencies) should be made available for sale on the online platform.

Frequency range and technical parameters should be specified in the product list. Also, evidence of regulatory approval should be included through equipment type approval (ETA). It is necessary to follow the proper process of e-commerce institutions and verify regulatory compliance. The CCPA had earlier issued 13 notices against 16,970 products on their platform to sell the prominent 'Digital Marketplace' without proper frequency disclosure, licensing information or ETA. The statement said that along with the notification of new guidelines, these platforms will be under continuous monitoring and investigation.