Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

MTITC published for public discussion the amendments in the Law on the Electronic Communications

The Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications (MTITC) published for public discussion on its website the amendments in the Law on the Electronic Communications. The new texts foresee higher requirements for the operators of mobile and internet services, so that the interests of the subscribers will be protected at most.

The legislative changes that MTITC offers, provide the consumers to be clearly informed before signing the individual agreement for the continuance of the contract, the conditions for renewing, penalties in case of suspension before the term set; the service parameters.

One of the most important things that will change on a proposal of MTITC is the limiting of the maximum continuance of the contracts. The contract with the provider of mobile or internet service will not exceed 24 months. For the first time at the demand of the subscriber the date can be fixed up to 12 months. In parallel with that the experts of the ministry have set a removing of the automatic renewing of the contracts. Until now many customers had to follow strictly the date of expiration of the contract and in case of oversight they were bound with the operator for new long-term period.

The interests of the consumers are defended and the companies are obliged to inform their subscribers two months in advance about the date of expiration of the contract. This should be done in the monthly invoice, by e-mail, phone or another way chosen by the client. In such a way everyone can watch closely the contract terms easier and can break off the contract. Furthermore the experts of the Ministry of Transport have foreseen that the conditions for termination of the contract between the companies and their subscribers can not be an obstacle for change of the operator, independently the contract duration.

After the project of MTITC is adopted, the contract with a telecommunication company can be renewed only with the explicitly consent of the subscriber. In other case it will be transformed in termless contract under the same conditions. The user has the right to break off the termless contract through advice of one month. In this case the user does not owe a failure. When the user breaks off a fixed contract, a failure is due. The failure should be equitable for both sides and should be formed in a transparent way.

For the first time MTITC provides the possibility the individual contract to come into force up to 7 days after its contraction unless the subscriber desires the document to come into force immediately. This is provided in the Law on the Electronic Communications. In such a way the client can refuse the contract without owing a failure.

The fines for violation connected with the number portability (rejection, delay, obstacle and other) are increased up to twenty times. In the new bill of the MTITC the sanctions for the juridical persons and the one-man traders are in amount from 10 000 levs to 100 000 levs. According to the going law are imposed fines in amount from 500 to 5 000 levs.