PLC - Media and Communications: Country Q&A tool

Choose your questions - Select all/De-select all

1. Please give an overview of the regulatory framework and authorities for electronic communications.

2. Are there any restrictions on foreign companies operating or owning interests in the electronic communications market?

3. What authorisations are required to operate an electronic communications network or service?

4. Are network providers required to give other communications providers access to their network infrastructure?

5. Are electronic communications operators subject to pricing controls and/or required to disclose their prices?

6. Please summarise the regulation of mobile roaming.

7. On what basis is a new entrant entitled to interconnection?

8. To whom are applications for interconnection made?

9. Are the terms of interconnection agreements regulated and how are interconnection charges calculated?

10. Who manages the national numbering scheme and how does it operate?

11. Does the numbering scheme allow for portability of numbers and who bears the cost?

12. Please summarise the extent to which 3G networks have been rolled out.

13. Please summarise the universal service obligations.

14. Are there any requirements for electronic communications equipment to meet certain standards?

15. Are there any restrictions on accessing land to install communications infrastructure?

16. Are there any rules on laying submarine cables or authorising their use?

17. How are satellite earth stations regulated?

18. On what basis and by whom is access to radio frequency spectrum made available?

19. Is it possible to trade or return allocated radio frequency spectrum?

20. Has the switchover from analogue to digital television freed up spectrum for other services?

21. To what extent have next-generation networks been implemented?

22. Is there any specific regulation of next-generation networks?

23. To what extent have NGA networks been implemented?

24. Are owners of NGA networks required to share ducts with competitors?

25. How extensive is broadband coverage, what policies are in place to increase broadband availability and how fast are broadband speeds?

26. Please summarise the regulation of the internet.

27. Are there constraints on the ability of network service providers to discriminate in relation to data travelling across their networks?

28. What authorisation is required to deliver content over electronic communications networks?

29. Please summarise the regulation of on-demand services.

30. Are there any obligations requiring distribution networks to carry certain programmes?

31. Please summarise how market dominance in broadcasting is controlled.

32. What restrictions are there on advertising and teleshopping?

33. Are there any standards or quality requirements for advertising in audio-visual media services?

34. Are premium-rate telephone services specifically regulated?

35. On whom does liability for breaches of regulations fall?

36. Please summarise the potential liabilities ISPs can incur and defences against liabilities.

37. Must ISPs provide consumers with prescribed information on the terms on which internet access is provided?

Choose your jurisdictions - Select all/De-select all

Electronic communications

1. Please give a brief overview of the regulatory framework and authorities for electronic communications (including fixed-line and mobile telephony, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and satellite services) in your jurisdiction.

2. Are there any restrictions on foreign companies operating or owning interests in the electronic communications market in your jurisdiction? If so, please briefly explain what these are.

3. What authorisations are required to operate an electronic communications network or service?

4. What measures are in place requiring network providers to give other communications providers access to their network infrastructure?

5. Are electronic communications operators:

Subject to pricing controls?
Required to disclose their prices?

6. Please summarise the regulation of mobile roaming in your jurisdiction.

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Interconnection

7. On what basis is a new entrant entitled to interconnection?

8. To whom are applications for interconnection made?

9. Are the terms of interconnection agreements regulated and how are interconnection charges calculated?

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Numbering

10. Who manages the national numbering scheme and how does it operate? Does it apply to both fixed-line and mobile telephone numbers?

11. Does the numbering scheme allow for portability of numbers and, if so, who bears the cost of portability?

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Third-generation (3G) networks

12. Please summarise the extent to which third-generation (3G) networks have been rolled out in your jurisdiction.

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Universal service

13. Are there any obligations to provide a universal service? If so:

On whom do the obligations fall?
What services do the obligations cover (for example, fixed-line telephony)?
If the universal service obligations do not extend to broadband, are there any plans for them to do so?

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Equipment and infrastructure

14. Are there any requirements for electronic communications equipment to comply with certain standards?

15. Are there any restrictions on accessing land to install communications infrastructure?

16. Are there any rules on laying submarine cables in your jurisdiction or authorising their use?

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Satellite and cable

17. How are satellite earth stations regulated?

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Radio frequency spectrum

18. On what basis and by whom is access to radio frequency spectrum made available? Are there any requirements for authorisation and are there any types of service that are exempt from authorisation?

19. Is it possible to trade or return allocated radio frequency spectrum?

20. Has the switchover from analogue to digital television freed up spectrum for other services?

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Next-generation networks

21. To what extent have next-generation networks been implemented?

22. Is there any specific regulation of next-generation networks?

23. To what extent have next-generation access (NGA) networks been implemented?

24. Are owners of NGA networks required to share ducts with competitors?

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Broadband

25. How extensive is broadband coverage in your jurisdiction and what policies are in place to increase broadband availability nationwide? How fast are broadband speeds?

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Internet

26. Please summarise the regulation of the internet in your jurisdiction, including any proposals for reform.

27. Are there any constraints on the ability of network service providers to discriminate in terms of the different types and sources of data travelling across their networks as the demand for bandwidth increases?

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Broadcasting and on-demand services

28. What authorisation is required to deliver content over electronic communications networks (for example, to operate a broadcasting service or offer IPTV)? By whom and on what basis is authorisation granted?

29. Please summarise:

The regulation (if any) of on-demand services in your jurisdiction.
How the definition of "audio-visual media services" under Directive 2007/65/EC (Audio-Visual Media Services Directive) will be interpreted in your jurisdiction? (EU member states only.)

30. Are there any obligations requiring certain programmes to be carried by distribution networks?

31. Please summarise how market dominance in broadcasting is controlled (including any restraints on concentrations of media ownership and cross-ownership).

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Advertising in electronic media

32. What restrictions are there on:

How much advertising and teleshopping (that is, direct offers broadcast to the public) can be included in programmes/on the internet?
The particular types of channels on which they can be shown?

33. Are there any standards or quality requirements for advertising in audio-visual media services?

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Premium-rate telephone services

34. Are premium-rate telephone services specifically regulated in your jurisdiction? If so, please provide details.

35. On whom does liability for breaches of regulations fall and what liability is there in relation to carrying out due diligence of other members of the supply chain?

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Internet service providers (ISPs)

36. Please summarise:

The potential liabilities that internet service providers (ISPs) can incur as a result of actions by their customers (such as the posting of material that infringes third party IP rights or is defamatory).
The available defences to these liabilities.
Whether there are separate liabilities and defences for criminal matters (such as publishing/distributing material of a terrorist nature or that is likely to incite racial hatred).

37. Must ISPs provide consumers with prescribed information on the terms on which internet access is provided? Does this extend to the provision of specific public-interest information to subscribers?