The Federal Tariff Service opposes a Federal Anti-Monopoly Service proposal to let landline service providers set their own rates and effectively deregulate the fixed-line telephone industry. Under current federal regulations, landline operators can make prices as low as they want, however, the limit tends to rest at the upper end of the scale with the government setting various maximum rates by region, said Irina Yakimenko, an analyst at Moscow-based telecoms research and advisory firm iKS-Consulting. Tariff Service head Sergei Novikov, whose agency enforces legally established fixed-line rates and fees, explained, "We [now] have total protection for the consumer, who must be provided with at least one of three [landline] rate plans, and we have total commercial freedom for companies in the sense that they can entice the consumer with favorable terms, including with rate plans." Many of Russia's mobile providers, as well as state-owned Rostelecom, the dominant landline service provider, favor the FAS's proposed change, as they see mobile phone and fixed-line services as interchangeable, and want the freedom to set rates for both services according to market conditions.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/agency-challenges-counterparts-phone-proposal/460145.html
No comments:
Post a Comment