November 15, 2022 Results of Resolicitation of Opinions on Draft Ministerial, etc. for Partial Amendment to Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act, etc. (Matters Concerning the Category I Designated Telecommunications Facilities)

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) made a solicitation of opinions on a draft ministerial ordinance, etc. for partial amendments to Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act, etc. from Tuesday, September 27 through Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Furthermore, to seek the opinions of other interested parties regarding the submitted opinions concerning the Category I designated telecommunications facilities, MIC made a resolicitation of opinions from Saturday, October 29 through Friday, November 11, 2022. As a result, two further opinions were submitted and MIC will disclose the results.

1. Background

With consideration of changes in the environment surrounding telecommunications business, MIC submitted the Draft for Partial Amendments to the Telecommunications Business Act to the 208th National Diet for the development of provisions considering review of the system of the Category I designated telecommunications facilities. The partial amendments were approved and enacted, and the Act Partially Amending the Telecommunications Business Act (Act No. 70 of 2022) was promulgated on Friday, June 17, 2022.
Also, public switched telephone network (hereinafter referred to as ”PSTN”) currently used for the telephone service by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation (NTT East) and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation (NTT West) will reach themaintenance limit around 2025, and migration to the IP networks of PSTN is taking place in sequence from January 2021.

Accordingly, from April 2020, the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications has been making inquiries to the Information and Communications Council on the ideal considering the stage of migrationi to IP networks, and in September 2021, the final report"Ideal State of Interconnection System with Consideration at Stage of Migration to IP Networks;Towards Development of Interconnection System in Anticipation of Completion of Migration to IP Networks" was compiled by the Council.
Based on the Amendment Act and this report, MIC will partially amend the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act, etc. (MPT Order No. 25 of 1985) for the necessary institutional development.
MIC made a solicitation of opinions on this draft from Tuesday, September 27 through Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Then, to seek the opinions of other interested parties regarding the submitted opinions concerning the Category I designated telecommunications facilities, MIC made a resolicitation of opinions from Saturday, October 29 through Friday, November 11, 2022. As a result, two further opinions were submitted and MIC will disclose the results.

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  One other opinion was submitted, which was deemed irrelevant to this draft ministerial order.

2. Results of the resolicitation of opinions

The submitted additional opinions are posted on the "Press Release" page of MIC's website, and will also be made available for viewing and obtaining copies at the Tariff and Telecommunications Access Policy Division, Telecommunications Business Department, Telecommunications Bureau, MIC (10th Floor, MIC).

3. Future schedule

MIC will amend the ministerial order based on the opinions submitted in response to the solicitation and resolicitation.

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  The published materials are in Japanese only.