Another week, another rulebook for India’s digital economy—this time, a competition code. The Digital Competition Bill (DCB) would flip enforcement from ex-post litigation to ex-ante guardrails for “systemically significant” platforms, banning self-preferencing, data misuse against business users, coercive tying, and stealth blocks on interoperability—under the CCI, not a new super-regulator. It’s meant to supplement the Competition Act, not replace it.In this episode Kazim Rizvi, Founding Director of The Dialogue, a public policy think-tank, tells Anirban Chowdhury that India may not need a new statute now: first test the 2023 Competition Act amendments (settlements/commitments), build capacity, and let case outcomes prove speed and effectiveness—citing the CCI’s recent 12-month Google Android TV matter as evidence that ex-post can work with resources.He also brings data from The Dialogue’s survey of MSMEs using digital platforms to show the rules may hobble Indian digital-first firms.Ex-ante code now or sharper ex-post tools first?
Show more
