The Multi-Year Activities Plan for Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM) incorporates the strategic priorities, lines of action and specific actions to be undertaken over the 2017-2019 three-year period; the Plan also includes activities carried out on a regular and ongoing basis that are essential to the proper performance of ANACOM's functions and which take up a significant portion of the regulator's human and financial resources.
This year, for the first time, ANACOM decided to submit the list of actions set out in the 2017-2019 Multi-Annual Activities Plan and the timetable for their implementation to public consultation, receiving contributions between 29 July and 29 August 2016. Before this consultation, ANACOM had received input from various stakeholders on the Plan's strategic guidelines, following a public consultation held between 6 May and 6 June 2016. These public consultations, held with the aim of enhancing transparency in the market, increasing regulatory predictability and promoting greater involvement by all stakeholders in the preparation of ANACOM’s Activities Plan, were conducted in fulfilment of article 47, paragraph 1, of ANACOM's Statutes (approved by Decree-Law no. 39/2015 of 16 March). As a result of these procedures, ANACOM received a number of important contributions, many of which have been incorporated into the Plan, as can be seen in the approved reports available on ANACOM's website. For example, new lines of action were incorporated such as "Improving the technical processes of provider switching" and "Ensuring the population's access to free television after 2020 (freeing up of 700 MHz band)". Some lines of action have been reformulated, including the line of action "Analyse trends in the use of the digital dividend in anticipation of evolutionary scenarios", reformulated as "Implement a plan of action for the 700 MHz band with a view to making it available". The line of action "Evaluate, on a prospective basis, the development of various radiocommunications services and applications and spectrum needs associated with the provision of new electronic communication services" also resulted from a reformulation.
Following the consultations, new actions were incorporated into ANACOM's Multi-Annual Plan, in particular the action "Complete review of the Portability Regulation" and the action "Motivate operators to establish codes of conduct". In other cases, proposed actions were not detailed in the plan because there were already other actions providing for pursuit of the same goal, and there were also cases of actions that have been given no express provision, but which ANACOM will nonetheless take into account in the development of its activity, as detailed in the public consultation report on the 2017-2019 Activities Plan.
Some actions set out by ANACOM have been amended in line with the proposals advanced under the consultation. This is the case, for example, of the action "Assign the 700 MHz band (and other relevant bands) considering the national interest and the European and national regulatory framework", which replaced two initially planned actions; or for example, the action "Monitor provider practices", whose sub-actions have been reformulated, making them broader in scope.
Changes were made to the timings of a number of actions as a result of contributions received in this consultation.
As such, this document includes the strategic priorities, lines of action and actions that ANACOM considers most fitting to ensure the existence of a stable and predictable regulatory framework to promote competition, investment and innovation as key factors supporting the generation of better offers for consumers.
In a sector as dynamic as the communications sector, the regulator's proactivity and ability to anticipate future developments are crucial to the adoption of appropriate regulatory measures; these measures must be accomplished with the utmost transparency and with minimum intrusion.
Over the coming years, at the core of its work, ANACOM will be focused on strengthening competition in the sector by creating conditions conducive to the emergence of more and better offers, guaranteeing provision of the universal service in electronic communications and postal services, improving and strengthening the information made available to consumers, increasing responsiveness to complaints, assessing the needs of spectrum usage and establishing new rules on the allocation, use and management of numbering.
To accomplish all its objectives, it is crucial that ANACOM retains highly qualified, committed and motivated staff who contribute to making ANACOM increasingly efficient.
The investment plan for the 2017-2019 period will remain guided by a drive to rationalise expenses and by a careful evaluation of all expenditure, without causing harm to ANACOM's capacity to act in terms of its regulatory and supervisory activity. The most significant investments in this three-year period result from the upgrade and modernisation of equipment supporting spectrum management, and the technological adaptation of information systems (hardware and software).
Notwithstanding the necessity of these important assets, the investment forecast for 2017 is 4.6 percent lower than the investment envisaged in the 2016 budget, with further reductions due in 2018 (-17%) and 2019 (-0.2%).
With regard to the financial plan, in 2017, the main source of income remains the application of specific fees to cover the costs of ANACOM's regulatory activity in the context of both electronic communications and postal services. These fees are paid by sector operators and are determined based on a criterion of allocation according to the relevant revenues reported by each operator, weighted as a proportion of total sector revenues. ANACOM also charges special fees that are incurred by operators in return for the use of scarce public resources (such as the radio spectrum and numbering).
It is estimated that, in 2017, ANACOM’s income will be 90.778 million euros, exceeding income budgeted for 2016 (+7.5 percent). In the following years, 2018 and 2019, a decline in income is forecast to the order of 0.3% per year.
In terms of expenditure, the 2017 budget provides for total expenditure of around 56.070 million euros, representing an increase of 5.4 percent versus the 2016 budget. This increase is essentially due to increased provisions for ongoing legal cases and to full restoration of staff salaries in accordance with the law.
In the 2017-2019 period, ANACOM will continue to take measures supporting a reduction in expenditure and a streamlined cost structure, which will make it possible to accommodate certain spending increases associated with the accomplishment of new legal obligations.
Forecast net profits for the periods covered by the Plan are: 34.7 million euros in 2017, 36.3 million euros in 2018 and 38.4 million euros in 2019.
