The Major Planning Options for 2007 were approved by Law no. 52/2006, of 1 September, and are comprised within the strategy of economic and social development of the country, defined in the Programme of the XVII Constitutional Government, in the Major Planning Options for 2005-2009, in the National Action Plan for Growth and Employment (Plano Nacional de Acção para o Crescimento e Emprego (PNACE)) and in the Stability and Growth Plan (Plano de Estabilidade e Crescimento (PEC)).
This document includes, in chapter I, a summary of policy measures for 2007, with emphasis on the four priority lines of government intervention: fiscal consolidation; modernization of public administration; qualification of human resources; and scientific and technological development, innovation and competition. In chapter II, the five Major Planning Options are built up, being presented the measures implemented in 2005-2006 and those foreseen for 2007; chapter III integrates the growth perspectives for the Portuguese economy and the priorities for public investment for 2007; and, lastly, chapter IV presents a summary of economic and social policies of the autonomous regions.
The measures of sector interest are basically identified in the first and third Planning options.
As regards the first option - to assure a path of sustained growth based on knowledge, innovation and human resource qualification - and in the framework of the information society, the main sector measures to be implemented in 2007 are as follows:
- To continue the efforts to duplicate the free-of-charge broadband internet points for general public access;
- To establish a national optic fibre infrastructure for scientific and academic communications (RCTS);
- To encourage professional training at all levels and R&D in information and communication technologies, in companies, education institutions and research laboratories;
- To establish and promote the use of new Internet services and contents;
- To ensure continuity of the Information Society Forum; and
- To progressively adopt, for the benefit of the public higher education, voice communications over IP (VoIP), as well as gathered e-shopping systems.
In the scope of the third option - to improve the quality of life and to strengthen territorial cohesion in a framework of sustained development - and in the framework of the communications sector, the main sector measures to be implemented in 2007 are as follows:
- As far as broadband is concerned, the use of advanced logic platforms is expected, thus ensuring the access of all State services to broadband networks and the access of service providers to electronic communications public infrastructures;
- As regards new services/new technologies, these measures seek to ensure the commercial offer of digital terrestrial television (DTT), and to create the conditions to extend the DTT to the DVBH mobile TV, subject to radio spectrum being found existent; to define a strategy for the development of Terrestrial Digital Audio Broadcasting - T-DAB; and to ensure the conditions for the development of the e-shopping project and of the trend towards generalised mobile payment;
- In the scope of postal services, it is important to ensure the process of liberalization of postal services, the launching of the post office bank, and to encourage innovation and the offer of new services.
Also within the scope of the third option, the consumer protection deserves a particular highlight, the promotion of means of articulation between the future Directorate-General for the Consumer and sector and competition regulatory entities being intended for 2007.
Related information on ANACOM's website:
- Assignments https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=5409
- ANACOM https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=333092
