Panel on digital competition law likely to finalise report by May-end

The government-constituted panel on digital competition law has completed stakeholder consultations and is likely to finalise its report by the end of May, according to senior officials.

The panel, chaired by Corporate Affairs Secretary Manoj Govil, is examining various regulatory aspects in dealing with challenges emerging from the digital economy.

It is also looking at the need for an ex-ante regulatory mechanism for digital markets through a separate legislation.

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The panel members will discuss various aspects as well as the inputs of stakeholders before finalising the report, the officials said on Thursday.

They said the consultations with stakeholders have been completed.

The panel was set up by the corporate affairs ministry in February, less than two months after a Parliamentary panel proposed having a new digital competition law to curb anti-competitive practices in the digital markets.

Competition Commission of India (CCI) chairperson, representatives from Niti Aayog, Department of Commerce, Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Consumer Affairs, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology are part of the committee.

It also has experts from different fields.

Among other aspects, the panel is reviewing whether existing provisions in the Competition Act, and the rules and regulations framed thereunder are sufficient to deal with the challenges that have emerged from the digital economy.

Further, it is studying the international best practices on regulation in the field of the digital markets as well as other regulatory regimes/institutional mechanisms/government policies regarding competition in the digital markets.

As per the order with respect to setting up the panel on February 6, the practices of leading players/Systemically Important Digital Intermediaries (SIDIs) which limit or have the potential to cause harm in the digital markets will also be looked into by the committee.