From 2006, the calculation formula for the providers’ contribution to the universal service fund will be harmonised with the new mechanism for the calculation of the monitoring tariff, established by Law no.239/2005 on the amendment and completion of several normative acts in the field of communications, published as of Tuesday, June 26, 2005, in the Romanian Official Journal. Therefore, ANRC submits to public consultation a draft amendment to the ANRC President’s Decision no.1074/2004 on the implementation of universal service in the electronic communications sector.
Like the new mechanism for establishing the calculation base of the monitoring tariff – which is to enter into force on December 31, 2005 -, the draft decision elaborated by ANRC will offer the providers the possibility to choose between two calculation formulas for the contribution owed for financing the universal service, starting from 2006:
a) calculate the contribution to the universal service fund as a percentage from the whole turnover (as currently in force);
b) calculate the contribution to the universal service fund as a percentage from the income obtained from the provision of electronic communications networks and services and of postal services, should the respective provider keep separate accounts for these activities, conducted and audited under the terms established by ANRC.
In both situations provided above, the amount of the contribution shall be established after the deduction of the income resulted from interconnection and roaming services offered on the wholesale market to the providers of mobile telephone services outside Romania for their users located on the territory of Romania (as currently in force).
The providers owing this contribution will also have the possibility to require that – before the calculation of the owed percentage – their turnover be diminished by the income resulted from the transmission of audio-visual programmes, should it be distinguished in the separated accounts they keep.
Support Information
Who are the providers obliged to contribute to financing universal service?
The providers of public electronic communications networks and the providers of publicly available telephone services who have registered a turnover of at least EUR3 million in the year before that for which they owe the respective contribution have the obligation to pay ANRC a contribution for financing the services within the scope of universal service.
What is the amount of this contribution?
For 2005, the contribution to financing universal service amounts to 0.5% of the turnover provided in the annual financial statements elaborated for the year 2004, diminished by the income resulted from interconnection and roaming services offered on the wholesale market to the providers of mobile telephone services outside Romania for their users located on the territory of Romania.
In 2005, the amount of each provider’s contribution to financing universal service shall be calculated by applying the 0.5% percentage (established by ANRC President’s Decision no.1074/2004 on the implementation of universal service in the electronic communications sector) to the turnover provided in the financial statements elaborated for 2004.
The amount owed to ANRC for the universal service fund shall not exceed EUR2 million per provider. If the amount owed by the provider with the largest turnover exceeds EUR2 million, ANRC shall calculate the percentage represented by this amount from the respective provider’s turnover, and the resulted percentage shall be applied in a non-discriminatory manner to all the providers who have the obligation to contribute to this fund.
Taking into account the complexity of this process and the numerous stages to lapse in the enforcement of these provisions, this draft has been submitted to public consultation under emergency regime, and is available on the ANRC website until August 8, 2005.
Comments and suggestions may be submitted by mail to the ANRC headquarters: 14 Libertatii Blvd., sector 5, Bucharest, as well as directly to the ANRC registration office or to the closest territorial offices of ANRC. Comments may be sent also by fax to: +40 21 307 54 02 or by e-mail to: consultare@anrc.ro