Bangladesh drafts law to ban internet shutdowns, abolish NTMC

The interim government has drafted a new telecommunications law that proposes a permanent ban on shutting down the internet and the abolition of the controversial National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC). Those involved say this will bring a major change to the country's digital governance framework.

The Posts and Telecommunications Division on Tuesday (4 November) published a draft of the “Bangladesh Telecommunications Ordinance-2025” on its website. It states, “Telecommunication connections, related services or internet access shall not, under any circumstance, be shut down, disrupted or limited.”

Officials said the primary aim of this initiative is to eliminate the discretionary power to shut down the internet and to reform the long-criticized surveillance system.

The proposed law calls for the abolition of the NTMC, which has been repeatedly criticized over allegations of involvement in unlawful surveillance and enforced disappearances.

A senior official involved in the law-making said, “The whole concept of surveillance has been removed in the new ordinance.”

He added, “Under the previous law, Section 97 was used to carry out wide-ranging surveillance of civilian communications. The new law ends that arrangement. No military or security agency will be able to interfere with anyone's communications without court permission. If done without authorization, there will be provision for severe punishment.”

He said that instead of arbitrary surveillance, the draft proposes introducing the concept of ‘lawful intrusion.’ This can only be carried out for specific purposes and for a limited time with prior approval from a court or judicial council; based on principles of necessity, accountability and transparency.

According to him, call, message or internet traffic data will only be used for criminal investigation, saving lives, or national security. It must not be used for political or ideological reasons in any way.

The draft states that information collected with judicial approval will be admissible as evidence in court, but intelligence information collected without permission will not be accepted as evidence in court.

Technology expert and Voice for Reform coordinator Fahim Mashrur welcomed the draft law’s explicit ban on internet shutdowns.

He said, “This is a positive step toward digital rights. However, the definition of ‘lawful intrusion’ needs to be made clearer. To prevent misuse, court approval should be mandatory for every intrusion.”

The 102-section draft ordinance will be open for public comment until 15 November. Citizens can send opinions to the Posts and Telecommunications Division by post or email.

After collecting feedback, the draft will be discussed in multi-stakeholder meetings and then sent to the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Ministry of Law for vetting, after which it will be presented to the Cabinet for approval.

Officials said the law aims to “ensure citizens’ uninterrupted right to communicate” and to replace the previous framework that enabled discretionary internet shutdowns and mass surveillance.

An official who wished to remain anonymous said, “This is a matter of accountability and reform. A state that once surveilled its citizens now wants to ensure their freedom of communication.”