ANRC Announces User Protection Measures

On Tuesday, January 28, the Vice-president of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications, Alexandrina Hîrtan, took part in the conference Telecommunications – understand what you can choose. The event was attended by representatives of the electronic communications companies and of state institutions in the field, who met to discuss the manner to change the communications services beneficiary into a fully discerning user.

The Vice-president of ANRC held a speech in the opening of the conference and underlined that the promotion and protection of the final users’ interests is the first priority fir ANRC in 2004. Alexandrina Hîrtan briefly presented the steps the Authority will follow in this direction. ANRC will soon put forth for public consultation a decision regarding the obligation of the electronic communications networks and services providers to inform the public, in order to make the provision of communications services more transparent and to ensure the users’ access to essential information on tariffs, on the service provision terms, on service packages and quality parameters. “All these measures will aim at increasing the user’ trust in the communications market and at giving him the possibility to make well-informed choices, for the benefit of both the provider and the final user,” stated Alexandrina Hîrtan.

During the same conference, the Legal Division Director Vlad Cercel presented the part ANRC holds in the protection of the electronic communications services users rights and interests, focusing on its function as mediator between users and providers. Also, he gave details on the main lines of actions for 2004 that ANRC will carry out for the users’ benefit. In this respect, on the first place is the implementation of the mechanisms specified in Law 304/2003 on the universal service and the rights of the users as regards the electronic communications networks and services. This year ANRC will also concentrate on the regulation of the retail markets, which will be submitted to analyses aimed at identifying the significant market operators. These operators may be imposed obligations designed to promote competition and to guarantee the prevention of any abuse that may come from their privileged position on the market. Moreover, Vlad Cercel announced the increase and diversification of the control activities of ANRC to ensure a better compliance with the legislation, as well as a series of activities having as purpose to raise the of user awareness with respect to the rights he holds in relation with the provider.