Isolated Communities Will Have Access to Telephone Services

Saturday, August 21, 2004, ANRC President’s Decision nr.1074/2004 on the implementation of universal service in the electronic communications sector will enter into force upon publication in the Official Journal of Romania no.750/2004. The document regulates the modalities of implementing universal service in the electronic communications sector, establishing the terms and the designation procedure for universal service providers, as well as the compensation mechanism for the net cost of the provision of services within the scope of universal service, under efficiency conditions.

The Decision offers two solutions for the improvement of the isolated communities’ access to electronic communications services. The first solution consists of installing telecenters – locations where the access of the community members to a public telephone network may be ensured at a fixed point, so that the inhabitants could benefit from publicly available telephone services and from Internet access services. The second solution involves the installation of public pay telephones, which shall ensure access to telephone services.

Thus, in order to fulfil the objectives of availability, quality and accessibility for the services within the scope of universal service, representing reasonable means of access to the publicly available telephone services, ANRC shall impose on the providers of universal service the obligation to ensure the provision of the following services at accessible tariffs and at a certain quality level:

– the service of access to the public telephone network, at a fixed point, by means of telecenters and

– the service of access to public pay telephones,

in those locations established by ANRC as eligible locations, based on a national study.

The locations where the public pay telephones shall be installed first will be selected from the eligible locations, taking into account criteria such as the availability degree of the telephone services, the number of inhabitants and the efficiency of implementing such projects.

In the short listed locations, ANRC shall designate, by tender or, on exceptional basis, ex officio, the providers of universal service who will ensure the telecenters/the public pay telephones:

– In the situation of tender designation, the amount for which the tender was assigned is the net cost of providing the services within the scope of universal service, and shall be paid, upon request, to the provider of universal service, according to the compensation mechanism established by ANRC.

– In the situation of ex officio designation, the net cost of providing the services within the scope of universal service shall be the negative difference between the commercial benefits and the costs involved in providing access to the public telephone network, at a fixed point, by telecenters, or in providing access to public pay telephones, under the terms and conditions established by ANRC, as calculated over the period of designation and updated at the date when the designation decision is issued. The net cost established according to the above mentioned procedure shall be paid, upon request, to the provider of universal service according to the compensation established by ANRC.

All the entities providing both public electronic communications networks and publicly available telephone services may take part in the tender for the installation of telecenters and of public pay telephones. For further information, please access Decision no.1074/2004 on the implementation of universal service in the electronic communications sector here