Wikipedia

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission

independent commission of Bangladesh Government

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ টেলিযোগাযোগ নিয়ন্ত্রণ কমিশন) is an independent group. It was created by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act in 2001.[1] The BTRC controls all things related to telecommunications in Bangladesh, like phone lines, cell phones, satellites, and cable.[2] The leader of the BTRC is like a judge of the Bangladesh High Court.[3]

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission
BTRC Bhaban
AbbreviationBTRC
Formation2002
PurposeRegulate telecommunication in Bangladesh
HeadquartersAgargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka
Region served
Bangladesh
Official language
Bengali
Chairman
Major General Md. Emdad-Ul-Bari
Parent organization
Posts and Telecommunications Division
Websitewww.btrc.gov.bd

History

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In 1979, the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board was created by an ordinance.[4] This ordinance was revised in 1995.

The BTRC started on 31 January 2002. Its goal was to make telecommunication services affordable and to increase the number of telephones to at least 10 per 100 people by 2010. This was amended in 2010 with a new Telecommunication Act. In 2016, the Bangladesh government increased the salaries of the commission members and chairman twice.[5]

Censorship

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In March 2013, Human Rights Watch and others criticised the BTRC for blocking access to some websites of "atheist bloggers."[6][7] One of the blocked blogs belonged to Asif Mohiuddin, who had been attacked in January. The following month, Mohiuddin was arrested along with three other bloggers.[8][9]

Chairmen

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Sl No. Name Term Start Term End Reference
1. Syed Margub Murshed 31 January 2002 30 January 2005 [10]
2. Muhammad Omar Farooq 31 March 2005 15 March 2007 [10]
3. Major General Manzurul Alam 22 April 2007 10 February 2009 [10]
4. Major General Zia Ahmed 26 February 2009 10 September 2012 [10]
5. Md. Giashuddin Ahmed 10 September 2012 22 October 2012 [10]
6. Sunil Kanti Bose 23 October 2012 23 September 2015 [11][12]
7. Shahjahan Mahmood 24 September 2015 1 September 2018 [12]
8. Md Jahurul Haque 31 January 2019 4 December 2020 [13][14]
9. Shyam Sunder Sikder 14 December 2020 11 December 2023 [14]
10. Md Mohiuddin Ahmed 11 December 2023 19 August 2024 [14]
11. Major General Md. Emdad-Ul-Bari 10 September 2024 [15]
change
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    Under Construction in BTRC Building
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    Under Construction in BTRC Building Southwest side
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    Under Construction in BTRC Building Southeast side


References

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  1. ↑ "BTRC a key organisation in building Smart Bangladesh: State Minister Palak". 6 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "BTRC chairman to enjoy status of HC judge". UNB. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  3. ↑ "Comissioners". Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "Vision & History". Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  5. ↑ Ahmed, Shamim. "Salaries 'to double' for BTRC chief, commissioners". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  6. ↑ "Bangladesh: Crackdown on Bloggers, Editors Escalates". Human Rights Watch. 15 April 2013.
  7. ↑ Arafatul Islam (25 March 2013). "Bangladesh gags award-winning blogger". Deutsche-Welle.
  8. ↑ "Blogger Asif Mohiuddin arrested over "blasphemous" blog posts". Reporters Without Borders. 3 April 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "4 held over attempt to kill blogger". The Daily Star. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 "Previous Comissioners". Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  11. ↑ "Sunil Kanti Bose is new BTRC Chairman". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "MNP will solve call drops menace, says outgoing BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  13. ↑ "BTRC gets new chairman". The Daily Star. 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Shyam Sunder Sikder made BTRC chairman". Dhaka Tribune. 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  15. ↑ "Major General Emdad ul Bari appointed as BTRC chairman". The Business Standard. 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
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