On Wednesday, September 25, 2002, ANRC became operational. On the same day, ANRC launched its first normative project regarding the General Authorization for providing public electronic communications networks. This project is expected to ease both the operation conditions for the local providers and the harmonisation with the European Standards in this field. Romania is the first country to adopt the new European Commission regulations in the electronic communications sector.
The Authorization establishes the conditions for installing, operating, controlling, and providing public electronic communications networks. The provisions of this Authorization apply to fixed electronic communications networks, mobile communications networks, audiovisual communications distribution networks also used for electronic communications services for the public, as well as to other types of networks.
The project includes the rights of the owner of this General Authorization, specifications on the use of radio frequencies and of numbering, on the right of access on properties, on access and interconnection, on the technical characteristics of the network and terminal equipment, on personal data protection, on the monitoring fee, as well as definitions of key terms.
Any person who wants to provide electronic communications networks must notify ANRC about this intention seven days before beginning the respective activity. ANRC will enlist the notifications in order to keep evidence of all providers. According to the new legislation, the right to provide public electronic communications networks is obtained after notifying ANRC under the legal term and conditions. The owner of this right must comply with the General Authorization provisions. Therefore, the individual licence for providing communications networks is no longer necessary and the barriers imposed by bureaucracy are diminished.
Based upon the General Authorization, the person who notifies ANRC on his intention to provide electronic communications networks, has the right to install, operate, control and provide a fixed electronic communications public network. According to the General Authorization, the owner has the obligation to permanently ensure all technical conditions necessary for providing electronic communications services through the network the quality level imposed by standards. Moreover, the owner is obliged to comply with the legal provisions regarding the processing of personal data and the protection of private life, and to guarantee the network security and the confidentiality of communications carried out through the network he manages.
According to the legislation regarding the establishment of ANRC, all its projects and measures with significant impact on the market shall only be adopted as a result of the public consultation procedure. By this procedure, the text is published on the ANRC website and all interested people are informed about the launch of the consultation, the term for sending comments, and the estimated date for adopting the respective measure. The General Authorization project for providing electronic communications public networks is publicly available for consultation on the ANRC website at the following address: www.anrc.ro, and comments are awaited no later than October 7, 2002. These comments will be studied and integrated in the content of the General Authorization.
In due time, ANRC will launch, for public consultation purposes, the projects regarding the General Authorization for other types of networks and electronic communications services, according to the law.