On Wednesday, October 8, 2003, Alexandrina Hirtan, Vice–president of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications (ANRC), took part in the conference entitled „The Universal Service in Telecommunications – advantage consumer”. The conference, dedicated to companies from the sector of communications and information technology, was divided into two working sessions, during which personalities from the sector held presentations and discussed on how the implementation of the Law on Universal Service would affect the electronic communications market and the end users.
The ANRC Vice-president held, during the first session of discussions, a presentation entitled „Universal Service: a law for the consumers”, underlying the impact of the Law on Universal Service on the electronic communications market and the advantages for consumers, brought about by the implementation of this law. Alexandrina Hîrtan presented the services in the scope of the universal service, as well as the obligations imposed to these services providers. As regards the provision of access to the public fixed telephony network, the ANRC Vice-president underlined the importance of operators observing the quality standards of the services provided to the end user. According to the European regulations, the connections must allow the user to initiate and receive local, national or international calls, and to give him access to facsimile and data communications (especially functional Internet access). Also, the providers will be obliged to make available directory enquiry services and a directory.
After the universal service providers are identified and their obligations established the end users shall benefit of well determined specific rights. For instance, as subscribers, the users shall not be obliged to pay for unsolicited facilities or services, which are not necessary. Also, the consumers shall have the right to facilities for monitoring the expenses, like itemised billing, selective call barring, pre-payment system and phased payment of fees for connection to the public telephone network.
The ANRC Vice-president mentioned the importance the consumer information has in the context of market offer diversification. „A first prerequisite for the efficient orientation of the Romanian consumer in the competitive environment created by the entry of new operators on the market of electronic communications market and for the launch of new services is, at this moment, the access to complete and especially comparable information regarding the tariffs charged by the authorized operators and the quality of services. In this manner, in order to create the possibility of the end users to make informed choices among the electronic communications products and services available on the market, ANRC will elaborate and publish on its website a consumer guide that will offer them the possibility to make independent evaluations, as the providers will define their commercial offer”, stated Alexandrina Hirtan.