National Assembly discusses draft amended Law on Telecommunications

The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Thursday morning gave opinions on the draft amended Law on Telecommunications.

Chairman of the NA's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment L￪ Quang Huy said that the deputies suggested adjusting regulations for three new services, including over-the-top (OTT) telecommunications services, data centres and cloud computing.

The committee believed that adjusting the three new services compared to the Law on Telecommunications 2009 was necessary, because digital transformation has been taking place strongly.

These services need to be changed to both meet management requirements and create favourable conditions for innovation and development.

In addition, data centre services and cloud computing have become important components of the national digital infrastructure and the digital economy.

Some foreign countries have regulations to manage data centre services and cloud computing. Adjusting the services will create a clear and good legal environment for businesses.

On the other hand, OTT services adjustment will create equality among enterprises.

Regarding the fund for public-utility telecommunication services, the delegates showed two opinions.

The first one proposes not to prescribe the fund in the amended law because the fund was not in accordance with the Law on State Budget. It operated inefficiently with many problems.

The second option suggested that the fund should continue to be maintained, but should be improved to be more appropriate and operate more effectively.

The committee agreed with the second option, because the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress determined to focus on developing information infrastructure, telecommunications, creating a foundation for national digital transformation, gradually developing the digital economy and digital society.

In remote and isolated areas and areas with extremely difficult socio-economic conditions, it is necessary to continue deploying fiber optic cable infrastructure, covering internet to villages, and continue supporting users of public telecommunications services.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced that 91 countries were maintaining the fund to universalise telecommunications services.

Depending on different countries, the fund is used to support the development of telecommunications infrastructure in remote and extremely difficult areas, where investment costs are high and not profitable.

The fund also supports the cost of using internet services, telephones and mobile phones for schools, hospitals and low-income people.

Chairman Huy said, receiving opinions from delegates, the draft amended law was revised in Chapter III about the provision of public telecommunications services. It was supplemented with regulations on the form of support, bidding, ordering and assigning tasks.

As for the issue of sharing telecommunications infrastructure in Articles 13, 47 and 67, some delegates asked to supplement regulations on policies in which enterprises are required to share infrastructure and renting prices.

Huy said that receiving the opinions of the NA deputies, the draft amended law would be supplemented with Point b, Clause 4, Article 13 on obligations of telecommunications businesses.

The law would also be added with regulations on price consultations in Clause 5, Article 47; responsibilities of the Ministry of Information and Communications at Point d Clause 1 Article 67.