The National Regulatory Authority for Communications (ANRC), the institution to implement the national policy in the field of electronic communications and postal services, has become operational since yesterday, September 25, 2002.
ANRC was launched yesterday during a press conference held by the President of ANRC, Mr. Ion Smeeianu and by the Vicepresident, Ms. Alexandrina Hirtan. The two speakers emphasized the necessity for establishing a regulatory authority for communications in Romania, and they presented the scope, attributions and main directions of ANRC’s activity during 2002-2003.
The purpose of establishing ANRC is to protect users’ rights and interests, to promote the interoperability of services by means of efficient interconnection agreements, as well as to enhance public confidence with respect to communications markets, through a transparent regulatory process. The main objectives of ANRC are to promote competition in the field of electronic communications and postal services, to prevent the operators having significant market power from abusing their position, to create a favorable environment for the development of investments and innovation, as well as to efficiently manage the numbering resources.
By the end of this year, ANRC shall elaborate the general authorization for the provision of electronic communications networks and services, shall identify the relevant markets in this sector, shall elaborate the procedure for conducting market analyses, and shall initiate such analyses, in order to identify the providers having a significant market power. During 2003, ANRC shall continue to identify the providers of electronic communications services or networks with significant market power and to impose, maintain or withdraw certain specific obligations, as the case may be, in order to ensure effective competition on the respective market.
By answering journalists questions, the Vicepresident of ANRC, Ms. Alexandrina Hirtan, emphasized the independence of ANRC in relation with the Ministry for Communications and Information Technology, the activity of this institution being coordinated by a president and a vicepresident directly appointed by the Prime Minister, and its budget being exclusively ensured through extra-budgetary incomes. According to the law, ANRC has to exercise its attributions in a transparent and impartial manner, and therefore maintain its independence in relation with the operators on the electronic communications markets.
Transparency is achieved through a permanent and fair communication with the users, mainly by means of the ANRC Internet page – www.anrc.ro – where users can find information of public interest regarding the organisation and activity of ANRC. Furthermore, this page hosts a public consultation procedure that applies to all projects regarding measures with significant impact on the market.
"Starting tomorrow, ANRC will become fully operational and will begin to issue regulations in the field of electronic communications and postal services, in order to create a competitive market in Romania. Considering liberalisation of the telecommunications markets by 1st of January 2003, our role will be of a significant importance, meaning that we will have to solve all the issues in this sector, by the time of their appearance", declared the President of ANRC, Mr. Ion Smeeianu.
The establishment and operation of ANRC are regulated by the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 79/2002, meeting the European Community requests with respect to the development of the internal market in the sector of electronic communications and postal services, and to the appearance of competition and its efficient presence on this markets.