On Tuesday, February 15, 2005, the National Regulatory Authority for Communications hosted this year’s first Consultative Council meeting. The meeting agenda included 2 draft decisions, previously submitted to public consultation. ANRC discussed on its action plan for 2005 with the representatives of the industry, of the European Commission (Mr. Olivier Pascal, Principal Administrator for South-Eastern Europe) and of the European Commission Delegation in Bucharest (Mr. Lucian Jega) and reviewed the comments received during the public consultation. As well, the participants approached the adoption of the List of technical standards and specifications for electronic communications networks and services.
The industry representatives made last minute comments on the ANRC action plan comprising the priority programs for 2005 and on the punctual measures of implementation of these programs. Thus, for the purpose of promoting competition in the electronic communications sector, ANRC will continue the regulatory measures on the specific relevant wholesale markets and will consider the completion of the LRIC as an absolute priority, will monitor the observance of the obligations imposed on the providers with significant power on the relevant wholesale markets, will revise the obligations imposed on the respective providers and, wherever necessary, will initiate the process of imposing obligations on the providers with significant power on the specific relevant retail markets.
Concerning the numbering resources, ANRC envisages consulting the communications industry with regard to updating the National Numbering Plan. ANRC will also focus on rendering the carrier pre-selection procedure operational and will proceed to implementing number portability.
As regards the measures aimed at promoting the end users’ interests, ANRC will continue the implementation of universal service in the fields of electronic communications and of postal services, will intensify the user information and education measures and will conduct a study on ensuring the security of electronic communications networks and services.
Upon the industry representatives’ request, ANRC will assess the opportunity of speeding up the process of identifying the market for access to the mobile public telephone networks for the purpose of call origination, as well as the process of identifying – as a specific relevant market – the market for transmission services through the networks used for audio-visual communications, for the purpose of providing audio-visual programs to the end users.
During this consultative meeting, the decision regarding the List of technical standards and specifications for electronic communications networks and services and for the associated infrastructure and services has been approved and is to be published in the Romanian Official Journal. According to the new European regulatory framework, the implementation of the technical standards and specifications in the list is a voluntary measure, and ANRC will continue to promote technological neutrality.
The technical standards and specifications in the list should be the reference points for encouraging the harmonised provision of electronic communications networks, of electronic communications services, and of the associated services infrastructure, in order to provide for service interoperability and for the users’ freedom of choice.
The sessions of the Consultative Council, which is a consultative forum with the industry, assembling representatives of ANRC, of the providers and of their professional associations, as well as of other public institutions, ANRC is committed to observing the transparency principle and to ensuring the predictable character of the authority’s activity, in accordance with the developments of the regulatory framework in the electronic communications sector in Romania. The Principal Administrator for South-Eastern Europe of the European Commission, Mr. Olivier Pascal, considers that the transparency of the consultations with the industry is beneficial for the development of the electronic communications market in Romania and appreciates the active involvement of the operators in the process of decision elaboration and adoption.
Today’s meeting of the Consultative Council was attended by representatives of the providers of electronic communications networks and services and postal services, representatives of the business associations and of other legally constituted associations, of the consumer’s protection associations, as well as by representatives of various public institutions ancillary to the ANRC activity field.