Amendments to Decision no.1074/2004 on the Implementation of Universal Service in the Electronic Communications Sector

Wednesday, September 15, 2004, ANRC President’s Decision no. 1188/2004 amending and completing ANRC President’s Decision no.1074/2004 on the implementation of universal service in the electronic communications sector was published in the Official Romanian Journal, Part I.

According to ANRC President’s Decision no.1074/2004, all the families whose average monthly income per family member is lower than ROL2,460,000 will have the possibility to apply to the providers for subsidies for the service of access to the public telephony network at a fixed point, as well as for other facilities in case of not being able to pay the telephone bill. The universal service provider shall have the right to a compensation of the net real cost for the provision of services within the scope of universal service, amounting to a value equal to the subsidy granted to end users.

With a view to providing for the appropriate dissemination of the end users’ right to be granted subsidies and facilities by the universal service providers, as well as with a view to allowing a reasonable period for the end users to submit the application for granting the subsidy and the facilities in case the subscribers are not able to pay the telephone bill, ANRC President’s Decision no.1188/2004 replaces the term of October the 1^st, provided under Article 14 paragraph (1) of ANRC President’s Decision no. 1074/2004, with a term to be established by ANRC through the individual licenses for the designation of universal service providers. Correspondingly, the centralised report on the applications received by the universal service providers shall be transmitted to ANRC within 15 days from the above mentioned deadline for the submission of the applications and ANRC shall communicate the amount of the individual subsidy to the universal service providers within 15 days from the date of receiving the last centralised report.

ANRC President’s Decision no.1188/2004 also details the definition of “services of access to the public telephony network”, specifying it only makes reference to the end users who are natural persons.

As well, regarding the mechanism of financing universal service, the decision stipulates the effects of delaying the submission of the statements on one’s own responsibility concerning the income realised during the previous year from interconnection and roaming services offered on the wholesale market to the providers of mobile telephony outside Romania for their users in Romania.

So far, ANRC designated ex officio, according to the provisions of ANRC President’s Decision no.1074/2004, 10 universal service providers in the electronic communications sector for 2004. Upon the enforcement of ANRC President’s Decision no.1188/2004, the adopted designation decisions shall be completed accordingly.

ANRC President’s Decision no.1188/2004 is available on the Internet page of ANRC under the Legislation menu, the ANRC Issued Documents section.