“State of Public Telephones as Effective Means of Communication in Times of Emergencies such as Disasters, etc.

1. Background, etc.

　On October 4 (Tue), 2011, the Information and Communications Council received an inquiry from the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications concerning the state of public telephones as effective means of communication in times of emergencies such as disasters, etc., and since then study and deliberation has been conducted by the Telecommunications Business Policy Section Meeting and Universal Service Policy Board.
　A draft report concerning this inquiry was compiled at the 19th Telecommunications Business Policy Section Meeting, held on December 20, 2011, and an appeal for opinions on this draft report was conducted from December 23, 2011 to January 23, 2012.

2. Submitted opinions

　Please note that the opinions submitted will be published in the “Reports and documents” area of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) website (http://www.soumu.go.jp) as well as in the “Public comments” section of the e-Gov coordinated electronic government contact website (http://www.e-gov.go.jp). These opinions can also be inspected at the General Affairs Office, ICT Strategy Policy Division, Global ICT Strategy Bureau, General Affairs Division, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) (9th Floor, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Central Gov't. Building No. 2).

3. Schedule

　A report will be submitted to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications after study and deliberation have been carried out based on the opinions received concerning the draft report.

Related documents

News releases:
・Inquiry Submitted to Information and Communications Council concerning the “State of Public Telephones as Effective Means of Communication in Times of Emergencies such as Disasters, etc.” (October 4, 2011)
・Appeal for Opinions on Draft Report concerning the “State of Public Telephones as Effective Means of Communication in Times of Emergencies such as Disasters, etc.” (December 22, 2011)
For reference: Universal Service Policy Board – status of meetings, distributed materials, etc.