ANACOM - Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações has submitted the strategic guidelines set for its 2015-2017 Activities Plan to public consultation. This is the first time that a Portuguese Regulator has opted to enlist public participation in formulating its Activities Plan, giving all stakeholders an opportunity to comment on its activity for the next three years, with particular focus on the activity to be pursued in 2015.
Everyone is given a chance to participate and suggest new strategic priorities, proposing new lines of activity and specific actions for the regulator to pursue - including consumers, operators, associations, municipalities, universities and other important stakeholders. For ANACOM, being receptive to the opinions and contributions of all stakeholders constitutes good practice and is essential to optimise the setting of priorities, to increase transparency in ANACOM's work and to meet the needs expressed by the market.
According to the document now put to consultation, ANACOM's proposed activity for the 2015-2017 period will focus on five strategic priorities:
- Assure and protect the rights of users, overseeing provision of the universal service in telecoms and post, and monitoring levels of quality of service and trends in retail prices, while ensuring that consumers remain protected and that the information made available to consumers is continuously improved, enabling better consumer choices;
- Promote open and competitive markets, analysing and reviewing relevant markets and the wholesale offers of operators with significant market power; also assessing the impact of regulatory decisions on the market and overseeing the activities pursued by its various agents, and enforcing compliance with prevailing rules;
- Ensure the efficient management of public resources, conducting prospective analysis of spectrum usage trends and evaluating the development of services and associated spectrum needs, as well as ensuring compliance with the obligations of the DTT platform operator;
- Promote institutional and technical cooperation, providing national representation of Portugal at relevant international sector organisations and strengthening involvement in BEREC (Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications) - taking over the presidency of this European body in 2015; also promoting the sector at a national and international level and cooperating with other regulators, including those from PALOP countries;
- Promote internal efficiency and effectiveness, implementing measures to streamline costs, improving and dematerialising internal procedures, automating processes and extending the range of services provided online.
The public consultation will run for 20 days, closing 11 June.
Consult:
- Consultation on Multi-annual Activities Plan 2015-2017 https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1220572
