Self-Imposed Quality Standards for Cable Television Operators

October 2, 2002 – The President of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications (ANRC), Ion Smeeianu, attended the Cable Communications Convention, where, as part of the seminar entitled: "Interconnection and access to networks, an achievable future?", he presented the role as well as the immediate and mid-term priorities of ANRC.

The President of ANRC showed that the priorities of this institution for 2002 are the following: to establish clear rules, harmonized at European level, with respect to operators entering the communications market, to elaborate technical regulations in order to define the relevant markets, the market analysis methods and the cost accounting principles, and to regulate tarriffs for access and interconnection services.Until the end of 2002,the National Regulatory Authority for Communications will focus on the elaboration of the general authorizations (the first two projects for general authorization have already been placed on ANRC Internet page for public consultation). Also until the end of the year, ANRC has for target to determine the markets in the electronic communications sector with characteristics that might justify imposing specific obligations regarding access, interconnection and users’ rights. Therefore, based on the significant market power presumption, operators facing no competition on a certain market may be imposed specific obligations in order to stimulate effective competition. By the end of this year, ANRC will elaborate procedures for conducting market analyses and for initiating market analyses.At the press conference organized during the Cable Communications Convention to present the Services Quality Standards adopted by, and suggested to the other operators by the Cable Communications Association (ACC), Ion SMEEIANU declared: "I am pleased that ACC decided to ease the task of the authorities, by establishing certain quality and transparency standards to be applied by cable television companies in relation with their customers. I salute the fact that providers have re-discovered the consumer, it is a positive attitude to be aware that the time of fast earnings obtained in no matter what conditions, and that now it is the time for quality, loyal competition and respect for the users."

ACC recommends the observance of norms regarding the installation (in 3 days, otherwise free of charge) and the defaults remedy duration (recovery must be achieved within 24 hours after notification, otherwise, the company grants compensations). With respect to transparency and communication with customers, cable television companies are suggested to notify any changes of tarriffs or of the programs schedule at least one month before they take place, and to notify technical revisions or modernization works at least one day before. If the transmission is interrupted more than one day because of the operator’s fault, the customers are not to pay for that period when services have not been provided.