January 20, 2023 Results of Solicitation of Opinions on Draft Ministerial Order for Partial Amendments to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act, etc., and Report from the Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) consulted the Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council on a draft ministerial order for partial amendments to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act, etc. (Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council Inquiry No. 3155, dated November 25, 2022) and made a solicitation of opinions. Today, MIC received a report from the Council stating that it is appropriate to amend the Regulations as per the inquiry. Accordingly, MIC has published the report, along with the submitted opinions and views on the opinions. In consideration of the results of the report and the solicitation of opinions, MIC will promptly make the partial amendments to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act, etc.

1. Outline of the draft ministerial order

Based on the report from the Information and Communications Council regarding the ideal state of the universal service grant system in light of changes in the fixed-line phone environment (dated September 20, 2022) and the results of deliberations by the Study Group on Long-Run Incremental Cost Model (chaired by SAITO Tadao, Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo), MIC will put in place provisions regarding the method of calculating access charges for wireless fixed-line telephones during the period of transition from the telephone network to an IP network, along with other requisite provisions.
Accordingly, MIC will partially amend the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act (MPT Order No. 25 of 1985), the Regulations for Interconnection Charges of Category I Designated Telecommunications Facilities (MPT Order No. 64 of 2000), and the Ministerial Order Partially Amending the Regulations for Interconnection Charges of Category I Designated Telecommunications Facilities (MIC Order No. 9 of 2022). In addition, MIC will amend Annex Tables 2-2 and 4-3 of the Regulations for Interconnection Charges of Category I Designated Telecommunications Facilities, which specify the figures to be used for calculating net fixed asset value and the figures to be used for calculating costs when calculating the fiscal 2023 access charges based on the long-run incremental cost method.

2. Report and result of the solicitation of opinions

On November 25, 2022, MIC consulted the Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council regarding the draft ministerial order for partial amendments to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act, etc. and today received a report from the Council stating that it is appropriate to amend the Regulations as per the inquiry. MIC also made a public solicitation of opinions on the draft ministerial order from November 26 through December 26, 2022, as a result of which 2 opinions were submitted.

3. Future plans

In consideration of the report and result of the solicitation of opinions, MIC will promptly develop the provisions.

4. How to obtain reference information

MIC will make the reference information available on the "Press Release" page of MIC's website, and will also make it available for viewing and obtaining copies at the Tariff and Telecommunications Access Policy Division, Telecommunications Business Department, Telecommunications Bureau, MIC (10th Floor, MIC).

• *
  The published materials are in Japanese only.