Landowners may be fined for blocking telecom infrastructure under new bill

Licensed mobile phone and telecommunications companies will be permitted to lay optical fibre cables wherever required under new legislative changes.

The National Assembly has approved the Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, which has now been forwarded to the Senate for further consideration.

According to the proposed amendments, owners of private property as well as government institutions will be required to provide space for telecommunications infrastructure.

Under the bill, individuals or entities—including private homeowners, tenants, and public or private organisations—who refuse to provide land or space for laying optical fibre or installing mobile towers may face a penalty of up to Rs50 million.

The bill is being criticised widely.