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”INTERNET .RO – HEADING WHERE?” Conference

ANISP participated in the conference ”INTERNET .RO HEADING WHERE IN AI TIMES? – How can Romania return to the global Internet top?”, which took place today, September 18, 2024 at the Grand Continental Hotel in Bucharest.

In the framework of the theme “Digital Transformation Challenges for the Internet Industry in Romania in AI times – Investments, Regulations and Innovation – Analysis of the Internet Industry in Romania, opportunities and challenges” the representatives of ANISP took the floor.

Mr. Adrian Popa, president of ANISP, emphasized the need to treat the infrastructure needed for electronic communications services according to the model of the infrastructure needed for utilities (electricity, water, gas), considering the simplified authorization / construction / intervention regime for these networks.

Mr. Tiberiu Gîndu, ANISP executive director, presented ANISP’s arguments in favor of regulating IP peering with dominant operators that tend towards “abuse of dominant position” behavior, as well as for regulating access to their infrastructure, according to the LLU (local loop unbundling) model already experienced at the level of the European Union.

Total Grup Telecom Joined ANISP

Total Grup Telecom S.R.L. (TGT), represented by Mr. Lucian Bogaciu, Director, joined ANISP.

About the company: Total Grup Telecom appeared on the Romanian telecommunications market in 2005 with the desire to offer professional solutions in the field of designing and authorizing GSM sites. TGT is a company with fully Romanian private capital. TGT’s strategy is to offer its clients services at competitive prices, but above all, top quality.

TGT is an operator of underground telecommunications infrastructures, working currently with three municipalities on this subject (Constanta, Tulcea and Piatra Neamț), looking for new projects requiring such neutral, open and secure infrastructures.

ANISP supports the first national Olympics on fiber optics splicing

ANISP supports organizing – by the Romanian Fiber Optic Association (AFOR) and the WorldSkills Romania Foundation – the first “Fiber Optic Splicing” Olympics in Romania, 10 years after the introduction of this trade in national registry. The Olympics will be hosted by the “Augustin Maior” Technical College of Communications in Cluj-Napoca, after, in February 2024, the contest will be organized at the local level, in each of the 10 participating high schools, for 3 categories: the 10th and 11th grade, high school education and 11th vocational education.

At the national stage, one student from each educational unit will qualify, and the winner of the national Olympics will represent Romania at the International Trade Olympics WorldSkills Lyon 2024 on the Information Network Cabling job that will take place in Lyon in September 2024. Romania’s representative at the national stage he will train together with 4 other colleagues (the next 4 from the national phase) in Bordeaux and Bucharest, who will represent Romania’s national team for the international Olympics.

ANISP contributes to the organization of the Olympics and will respectively provide a prize fund for the 10 students qualified in the national phase.

Other details on the AFOR website and on the project website.

Consultative Council – Deregulating Voice Services

Today, January 22, 2024, a meeting of the ANCOM Consultative Council board was held, mainly dedicated to the following two draft decisions, according to the agenda:

  1. Draft decision on the security of public electronic communications networks and electronic communications services intended for the public;
  2. Draft decision on the relevant markets in the electronic communications sector corresponding to voice call termination services at fixed points, respectively corresponding to voice call termination services at mobile points, as well as the withdrawal of existing individual obligations.

For project no. 2 there were submissions from the industry, submissions in which stakeholders expressed concern that deregulation could delay the conclusion of interconnection agreements (as there will no longer be obligations regarding the negotiation period and/or ancillary service tariffs).

The submissions were rejected on grounds that once the market analysis has shown the conditions for regulation are no longer met, there is no longer any legal basis for the regulation, except for a transitional period. Any dysfunctions should subsequently be dealt with punctually, according to competition law. This project was considered adopted.

Project no. 1. generated wider discussions, the intervening operators emphasizing aspects such as:

  • The need for careful, accurate defining – of the network elements for which the implementation of electrical backup is to be imposed, taking into account the fact that some network elements (equipment) are normally disconnected in critical cases – precisely to extend the operating time on batteries for the remaining equipment;
  • Focusing efforts towards providing basic services (for example: voice and data), instead of the obligation to keep all network elements connected;
  • Extending the regime applicable to county capitals and to other large cities, which have similar characteristics;
  • The need to ensure communication with electrical network operators, to speed up power reconnection in case of interruption.

For this project, ANCOM is still waiting for concrete formulations from the interested providers of electronic communications networks and services, based on the published draft.

RITE 2023 in images

Other images – on the event’s webpage as well as on Social Media.

RITE – Romanian Internet Technologies Event

On October 25, 2023, ANISP organizes the Romanian Internet Technologies Event (RITE). The event is intended to facilitate interaction between Internet service providers, Internet content developers, and various Internet users. RITE will open an interactive dialogue between producers and consumers on fundamental topics such as: Internet Technologies, the evolution of Internet content (from simple, unstructured and accessible data to today’s cloud media based on container technology, OpenAI, virtual reality virtual environment or the current DevOps software production model used by most IT companies today). Details and registration on the event website: https://rite.org.ro

Current consultations – new normative acts

Currently, public consultations related to the following normative acts with implications in the sphere of electronic communications services are taking place:

At the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization – the draft law on security and cyber defense of Romania. Details here:

https://research.gov.ro/ro/articol/1029/transparenta-decizionala

In Parliament – the draft law on the approval of the Government’s Emergency Ordinance no. 119/2022 for the amendment and completion of the Government’s Emergency Ordinance no. 27/2022 regarding the measures applicable to final customers in the electricity and natural gas market during April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023, as well as for the modification and completion of some normative acts in the field of energy. Details here:

https://www.cdep.ro/pls/proiecte/upl_pck2015.proiect?idp=20329

New Technical Regulations

On the 23rd of October, 2022 the technical regulation “Telecommunications ducts (CTc) came into force. Optical fiber. Design, execution, use, maintenance and verification, reference RTC 5-2022”, published in the Official Gazette Part I no. 935 and no. 935 bis.

The regulations were developed based on art. 29 para. (3) from Law no. 159/2016 regarding the physical infrastructure regime of electronic communications networks, under the auspices of the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration (MDLPA), the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization (MCID) and respectively the National Authority for Administration and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM).

The publication of these technical regulations, combined with the provisions introduced at the beginning of 2022 by the “Electronic Communications Code” (law 198/2022) in law 159/2016 regarding the obligation to build or modernize the physical infrastructure for high-speed electronic communications networks as part of infrastructure development works of road transport* (highways, expressways, national roads and bypasses), constitutes an important step forward in order to achieve the objectives related to Romania’s digital transformation.

* see art. 26(1) of Law 156/2016, introduced by Law 198/2022:

(1) Within the projects of construction, modernization, rehabilitation of highways, express roads, national roads and bypasses, the legal entity that carries out activities of national public interest in the field of administration of national roads and concessioned highways, as well as, as the case may be, the legal entity of national strategic interest that ensures the public service of road transport infrastructure development, have the obligation to also ensure the construction or, as the case may be, the modernization of the physical infrastructure for high-speed electronic communications networks, an integral part of these highways, express roads, national roads and bypass options, physical infrastructure consisting at least of: piping intended for the installation of cables for high-speed electronic communications networks and power supply cables for electronic communications equipment, technical channels, cameras and/or inspection and connection cameras, with respect the technical regulations applicable at the time of construction or, as the case may be, the modernization of the physical infrastructure. The financing of the construction or modernization of the physical infrastructure for high-speed electronic communications networks will be made from the budget of the legal entity that carries out activities of national public interest in the field of the administration of national roads and concessioned highways or, as the case may be, from the budget of the legal entity of national strategic interest that provides the public service for the development of road transport infrastructure.

(2) The legal entities provided for in para. (1) grants access to the physical infrastructure mentioned in the same paragraph, under objective, transparent, proportional and non-discriminatory conditions, to all providers of public electronic communications networks who request access in order to build, install, maintain, replace or move some elements of public networks of high-speed electronic communications.

ANISP members Invited – Consultation – framework of reference

The Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization (MCID) has the capacity of Beneficiary within a European project entitled “Establishing the reference framework in the field of broadband network development in Romania”, code SIPOCA 579, co-financed from the European Social Fund (ESF) through Administrative Capacity Operational Program (POCA) 2014 – 2020, project that aims to obtain a normative act for public interventions to support the development of broadband Internet networks, especially in areas affected by market failure.
Consequently, MCID invites ANISP representatives to participate in a first consultation on the development of the broadband network in Romania within the a.m. project, according the objective of creating normatives adapted to the requirements of the telecommunications market in Romania.
On this occasion, MCID wants to launch actual proposals to improve the activity related to the broadband telecommunications market, calling for a direct consultation of those present, so that the analysis and taking over of a list of important aspects is carried out.

The conference will take place on Friday, 26.08.2022, starting at 10:00, at the MINERVA Hotel in Gheorghe Manu Str. No. 2-4, sector 1, Bucharest.

Law implementing the European Electronic Communications Code – contested provisions

Currently, the draft law transposing into national legislation the European Electronic Communications Code (Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018) is approaching the moment of the final vote in the Romanian Senate. The bill has already been voted in the Chamber of Deputies in December 2021. Details on the Senate website:

https://www.senat.ro/legis/lista.aspx?nr_cls=L532&an_cls=2021

The bill is very important bill and needs to be passed as soon as possible, but the industry and civil society have found that – in addition to the provisions transposing the European directive – harmful or at least inappropriate provisions have been mingled into the draft. Below is the content of a letter sent by ANISP to Senate in an attempt to correct the harmful aspects:

Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Senate

The National Association of Internet Service Providers in Romania (abbreviated ANISP), having its registered office in Calea Floreasca no. 169, building X, ground floor, sector 1, Bucharest, tel./fax: 021-316.10.33, e-mail: office /at/ anisp.ro, registered […],
We respectfully ask you to take all the measures available to you as senators in the Romanian Parliament,

to remove and / or amend the following provisions of the draft law to improve and supplement regulations in the field of electronic communications and to establish measures facilitating the development of electronic communications networks, (we submit our comments on the form available today, the 11th of February, 2022, a form that received a number of amendments in the specialized committees – on top of the form adopted by the Chamber of Deputies):
”28. After Article 10, two new Articles, Articles 10^1 and 10^2, are inserted with the following wording:
..
In Article 10^2, paragraph 1 is amended to read as follows:
(1) Providers of electronic hosting services using IP resources have the obligation to support law enforcement bodies and bodies with responsibilities in the field of national security within the limits of their competences, for the implementation of technical supervision methods or authorization acts provided in accordance with the provisions of Law no. 135/2010 on the Code of Criminal Procedure, as subsequently amended and supplemented, and of Law no. 51/1991 on national security, republished, with subsequent amendments and completions, respectively:
a. to allow the legal interception of communications, including to bear the related costs;
– unchanged (n.n.: unchanged from the form adopted by the Chamber of Deputies. ANISP observation: Transferring any costs, arbitrarily, without limits – to service providers is an abuse. The phrase “including to bear the related costs” should be deleted.)
b. to grant, at the request of the authorized bodies, under the conditions of this law, the decrypted content of communications transited in their own networks (ANISP observation: This provision conflicts with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure. According art. 38 CCP, para. (1), points (a) and (j), interception and obtaining of traffic data are “special methods of surveillance.” Then, according to Article 170 CCP:
(1) If there is a reasonable suspicion as to the preparation or commission of an offense and there are grounds for believing that an object or document may serve as evidence, the prosecuting authority or the court may disposes of the natural or legal person in whose possession it is to present and deliver them, under proof.
(2) Also, under the conditions of par. (1), the criminal investigation body or the court may order that:…
b) any provider of public electronic communications networks or providers of electronic communications services intended for the public to communicate certain data concerning subscribers, users and the services provided, under its control, other than the content of communications and those provided in art. 138 para. (1) lit. j). [contradiction!]
It is also generally technically impossible for providers to decrypt encrypted communications that pass through their network. The expression “decrypted content” implies that the content has been encrypted by an entity, and the provider should have decryption solutions that may not even be available to the most powerful intelligence agencies in the world.
Such a provision makes sense only if the provider of the communications service is also the one who provides encryption services, but even in this case there is no certainty of the technical possibility.
It should also be noted that “providers of electronic hosting services with IP resources” often do not have a network, but only physical or virtual server(s), so “communications transited in their own networks” might make no sense. );

c. to provide the information retained or stored regarding traffic data, identification data of subscribers or customers, payment methods and access history with the related time points;
– unchanged (n.n. unchanged from the form adopted by the Chamber of Deputies. ANISP observation: These activities must be carried out within the limits allowed by Law 506/2004, which requires the deletion and / or anonymisation of traffic data. See also Decision 440/2014 of the Constitutional Court of Of Romania, repealing Law 82/2012 for similar provisions (general and disproportionate – in contradiction with both the Romanian Constitution and the Judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 8 April 2014, in related cases C-293/12 – Digital Rights Ireland Ltd v Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and Others – and C-594/12 – Karntner Landesregierung and Others).
d. is deleted.
(2) The obligations provided in par. (1) lit. a) – c) shall apply accordingly to providers of electronic communications networks or services. (ANISP remark: this provision also conflicts with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure – see note to paragraph (1), letter b) above)
(3) Providers of electronic hosting services with IP resources and providers of interpersonal communications services not based on numbers are required to provide information within 60 days of the start of the provision of services. ANCOM containing at least the following:
a) the identification data of the supplier;
b) the contact details of the supplier;
c) the type of electronic hosting service provided.
(4) ANCOM publishes on its website the types of electronic hosting services for which the providers of electronic hosting services with IP resources have the obligations provided by this article.
(5) Any modification of the data transmitted according to par. (3) shall be communicated to ANCOM within 10 days from the date of occurrence of the event.
(6) ANCOM’s decision may establish that the information provided in par. (3) has to be made in a certain format. ” (ANISP observation: points 3, 4, 5 and 6 infringe Article 4 of Directive 2000/31 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on aspects of information society services: Article 4 – Principle of exclusion of prior authorization – ( 1. Member States shall ensure that access to and operation of the information service provider’s activity cannot be subject to prior authorization or any other requirement having equivalent effect. )


In conclusion, we consider that provisions such as those proposed in art. 10^2 above should not be included in the law transposing the European Code of Electronic Communications. These provisions must be exposed to a real public debate, they must be correlated with the legislation on personal data protection, with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, with the provisions of the decisions of the Constitutional Court, with other applicable normative acts and only subsequently introduced in the Code of Criminal Procedure as an extension of the existing provisions (already applicable to service providers and electronic communications networks) to providers of electronic hosting services with IP resources.