On 12 April, the Government launched a public consultation on the draft decree-law, which institutes the compensation fund of the universal service of electronic communications. The period of the consultation is 10 consecutive days, whereby interested parties should send their comments no later than 23 April by email to gabinete.seoptc@mee.gov.ptmailto:gabinete.seoptc@mee.gov.pt.
The established period of the consultation takes account of the need to proceed rapidly with the launch of the tender to designate the provider(s) of the universal service, fulfilling the commitments agreed under the Memorandum of Understanding on Specific Economic Policy Conditionality, which the Portuguese State concluded with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
The fund in question is to be used to compensate the costs incurred by the provider(s) designated under the tender, pursuant to paragraph 3 of article 99 of Law no. 5/2004 of 10 February (Electronic Communications Law), as well as the costs as are incurred by the current universal service provider and which are eligible for compensation under the terms set out by ANACOM in the determination approved on this subject in 2011.
In 2011, the Government, in cooperation with ANACOM, conducted a public consultation on designating the provider(s) of the universal service, which closed at the end of December.
