November 22, 2023 Results of Solicitation of Opinions on Draft Ministerial Ordinance, etc. for Partial Amendments to the Regulations for Enforcement of Telecommunications Business Act, etc., and Report from Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council
Institutional development based on discussions by the Study Group on Calculation of Interconnection Charges, etc.

Recently, the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications sent an inquiry (Inquiry No. 3171, September 19, 2023) to the Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council (chaired by AIDA Hitoshi, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo) on draft ministerial ordinance, etc. for partial amendments to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act.
MIC solicited opinions on this draft from Wednesday, September 20 through Thursday, October 19, 2023, and made a resolicitation of opinions from Thursday, October 26 through Wednesday, November 8, 2023, on matters related to interconnection system.
Today, MIC received a report from the Council on this matter, and MIC discloses its views on the draft and opinions submitted as a result of the solicitation and resolicitation of opinions.
Based on the above, MIC will promptly make the partial amendments to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act (MPT No. 25 of 1985).

1. Background

MIC organized the Study Group on Calculation of Interconnection Charges, etc. * in March 2017 , which has been deliberating on the current interconnection system, which is the basis for ensuring fair competition, and other matters for providing various services smoothly in a fair competition environment.
The seventh report of the study group was compiled and published on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. In light of this report, the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act (MPT No. 25 of 1985), etc., are to be partially amended in order to establish the necessary provisions based on the report.
Also, regarding the Category I designated telecommunications facilities, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation have been gradually migrating their public switched telephone networks (PSTN) to the IP networks since January 2021, and MIC will make necessary institutional development.
A summary of the proposed amendments is shown in Attachment 1.

• *
  The name was changed from the Study Group on Calculation of Interconnection Charges in December 2019.

2. Results of solicitation for opinions and the report

MIC solicited opinions on the draft from Wednesday, September 20 through Thursday, October 19, 2023, and received seven opinions. Subsequently, MIC made a resolicitation of opinions on interconnection system from Thursday, October 26 through Wednesday, November 8, 2023, and received six opinions.
MIC’s views on the submitted opinions in response to the solicitation and resolicitation of opinions, along with the report from the Council, are shown in Attachment 2.

3. Future schedule

In consideration of the report and results of the solicitation for opinions, etc., MIC will promptly make the partial amendments to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act, etc.

4. How to obtain reference information

MIC will make the reference attachments 1 and 2 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.