Ancom - ANCOM impune crearea de pachete de servicii telecom pentru persoanele cu dizabilitati

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ANCOM Imposes Telecom Operators to Create Service Packages for the Disabled

25.02.2015

The Romanian Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) adopted the decision providing a set of measures meant to ensure the access of disabled people to telephony and internet access services tailored according to their specific needs and in conditions equivalent to those available to the rest of the users. The Authority established the componence of the telephony and internet packages for disabled users and recommends the providers a certain tariff for each of these packages.

Thus, within eight months from the entry into force of this decision, the users with hearing/speech disabilities will be able to choose mobile service packages including at least unlimited SMS on-net and 150 national SMS minutes at a tariff recommended by ANCOM, of maximum 4 euro/month (VAT included), as well as monthly mobile internet traffic of minimum 300 MB, at a maximum download speed of 2 Mbps, at a recommended tariff of EUR 2/month (VAT included). Moreover, these users will be able to buy also fixed service packages including unlimited monthly internet traffic, at a maximum download speed of 30 Mbps or, where this is not technically feasible, the maximum speed available in the commercial offers for residential users, at a maximm recommended tariff of EUR 7/month, VAT included.

Furthermore, mobile service providers will offer the end-users with sight impairments packages containinig 300 national minutes at a maximum recommended tariff of EUR 2/month (VAT included) and, upon the user’s request, monthly national mobile internet traffic of minimum 300 MB, at a maximum download speed of at least 2 Mbps, at a recommended maximum tariff of EUR 2/month. Fixed internet and telephony providers will launch packages containing at least 350 mational minutes per month at a maximum recommended tariff of EUR 3/month, VAT included, and, upon the user’s request, unlimited monthly fixed internet traffic at a maximum recommended tariff of EUR 7/month.

Beside the offers imposed by ANCOM, the providers can offer further packages adapted to the special needs of disabled users.

The authority imposes the providers to implement, within eight months from the entry into force of this decision, other additional facilities for disabled users, as well. Thus, these will have access to the Customer Relations service through specific means, adapted to their needs, including via SMS – for users with hearing disabilities, whereas visually challenged users will have the possibility to interrogate the cost control service by means of an audio message. As well, within maximum 6 months from the entry into force of this decision, upon request, visually impaired users will receive contratcs, unitemized bills and other documents by e-mail, in a format compatible with most document reading programmes.

Moreover, electronic communications providers will have to give the disabled users the possibility to make a free trial of the terminal electronic communications equipment they intend to buy, by means of their workig points where subscription-based electronic communications services are offered, as well as to make available a special section, accessible from the homepage of their websites, displaying specific information dedicated to disabled users.

The decision will be sent for publication in the Romanian Official Journal and will enter into force within 3 days from the publishing date. However, its provisions, imposing various obligations, will have to be implemented within six or eight months from the entry into force of this decision.

In Romania, according to the data provided by the General Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Protection and Aged Persons - General Directorate for the Protection of Disabled Persons, as of 30 June 2014 there were 714,891 disabled persons (adults and children).