Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones

IFT Plenary approves to submit to public consultation on the provisions draft for not charging long distance to users from 1^st January of 2015

• The proposed provisions aim that, from January 1^st, 2015, concessionaires will stop charging for domestic long distance calls to its users

• Is given certainty to concessionaires of public telecommunications networks as to the action to be taken is given to ensure the continuity of public service telephone telecommunications

• Contemplate the rights of users and obligations of telecommunications services providers

• Public consultation shall within 10 working days from the working day following its publication in the Internet page of the Institute

In an extraordinary session, the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones, IFT) agreed to submit to public consultation the Provisions Draft to be complied for concessionaires who provide public telecommunications services via public telecommunications networks from domestic long distance to refrain charging users for calls made to any domestic destination from January 1^st, 2015.

These provisions aim to ensure that, as of January 1^st, 2015, concessionaires stop charging users for domestic long distance and there is certainty for both users and concessionaires, that there is continuity of public telephone telecommunications service, in accordance with the provisions of Article 118, fraction V, and the twenty-fifth Transitional Federal Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law.

In this sense, the draft is put to public consultation and addresses three fundamental aspects: 1) the rights of users of telecommunications services in the light of the new Law and the current administrative provisions on consumer protection; 2) the obligations of concessionaires and other telecommunications service providers have acquired as a result of the issuance of the Law, and 3) treatment selection by pre-subscription service, derived from the disappearance of charges for domestic long distance calls.

Thus, to promote transparency and citizen participation, the IFT made this public consultation in order to receive comments and opinions from industry, academics, analysts and the general public for a period of 10 working days from the next day business of its publication in the Internet portal of IFT www.ift.org.mx

As with all exercises of this type made by the Institute, the contributions are assessed in order to have a more robust document that will be submitted, in due course, and considered for the Plenary for its publication in the Official Gazette of the Federation and entry into force.