West Bengal State Broadband Policy, 2020

GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & ELECTRONICS
MONI BHANDAR (5th & 6th) FLOOR, BLOCK-EP&GP, SECTOR – V, SALT LAKE, KOLKATA – 700 091.
Phone: 2357-25-15. Fax: 2357- 2534.

No: 584-Estt/ITE-20012/2/2020 Dated: 28.12.2020.

NOTIFICATION

WHEREAS, Telecommunication is the preferred and trusted mode of staying connected. Connectivity depends upon available network which in turn is dependent upon telecom infrastructure. Apart from robust Telecom infrastructure, non-intrusive, industry friendly policy guidelines in emerging fields are a must for overall growth of IT and ITeS industry;

AND, WHEREAS, the State Government has been contemplating in the recent past to usher in a comprehensive policy on proliferation of Broadband across the State with the objective of bringing universal access to high quality internet services within everybody’s means combined with providing policy direction in various emerging technologies leading to large scale development of IT and ITeS in the State and creating employment for youth;

NOW THEREFORE, the Governor is pleased to notify the ‘West Bengal State Broadband Policy 2020’ (attached herewith) with the vision for sustained growth of telecom infrastructure across the State, combined with policy directives for various emerging technologies to foster development of a robust digital ecosystem.

Among the focus areas identified in this policy document, separate notification will be issued for enabling telecom industries easily set up necessary infrastructure by way of having an online, accessible and time-bound clearance system through notifying West Bengal Telecom Infrastructure Guidelines, 2020. This Policy will leverage various emerging technologies viz. Blockchain, Drone Technology, AI-ML and for creation of anonymised public-use-data repository; West Bengal Drone Technology Promotion Guidelines 2020, West Bengal State Public Transactional Data Sharing Guidelines 2020, West Bengal State Data Centre Storage Sharing and Electronic Data Retention Guidelines 2020, West Bengal Blockchain Technology Promotion Guidelines 2020 and West Bengal AI-ML Technology Promotion Guidelines 2020 etc; are being notified separately.

This policy shall come into effect from the date of this notification and will remain operative until further orders.

This issues with the concurrence of the Department of Finance, Government of West Bengal, vide their U.O. No Group-S/2020-2021/0008 dated 16.12.2020 and with approval of the Cabinet obtained on 22.12.2020 vide Cabinet Sectt. U/O No CAB(D)-1722 dated 24.12.2020.

Enclo: As stated.

By order of the Governor,

Principal Secretary to the
Government of West Bengal
Information Technology & Electronics Department

No. 584-ITE dated 28.12.2020, Source