January 23, 2024 Results of Solicitation of Opinions on Partial Amendments, etc. to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act, etc., and Report from the Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council―Availability of the bill-and-keep option for designated telecommunications facilities

The Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications recently submitted an inquiry (Inquiry No. 3174, November 22, 2023) to the Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council (chaired by AIDA Hitoshi, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo) regarding partial amendments to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act and other related regulations.
MIC solicited opinions on this matter from Thursday, November 23 （Thursday） through Friday, December 22, 2023, and again from Wednesday, December 27, 2023, through Friday, January 12, 2024, on matters related to interconnection.
Today, MIC received a report from the Council on this matter, and MIC will open the report and opinions submitted, along with theviews on the opinions.
Based on the above, MIC plans to promptly improve the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act (MPT No. 25 of 1985) and related regulations.

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 competitioncompetitive environment. The study group examined bill-and-keep of interconnection charges for voice services, such as telephony (a method of inter-carrier settlement in which interconnection charges are not mutually paid between telecommunications carriers). As a measure to introduce this method partially, the seventh report of the study group (published on Wednesday, September 6, 2023) recommended that it would be appropriate to make the bill-and-keep optional based on an agreement between interconnecting parties.
In light of the above, MIC will amend the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act (MPT No. 25 of 1985) and other relevant ministerial directives and guidelines to allow the selection of the bill-and-keep option based on an agreement between interconnecting parties with regard to category I designated telecommunications facilities and category II designated telecommunications facilities.
A summary of the proposed amendments is provided 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 report

Solicitation ofopinions on this amendment was conducted from Thursday, November 23, through Friday, December 22, 2023, and 13 opinions were received.
Subsequently, MIC conducted a re-solicitation of opinions on matters related to interconnection from Wednesday, December 27, 2023, through Friday, January 12, 2024, and received four opinions.
The report and the Council’s views on the submitted opinions are shown in Attachment 2.
The opinions submitted in response to matters other than the matters consulted to the Council and MIC’s views on them are shown in Attachment 3.

3. Future plans

Based on the results of solicitation for opinions, etc., MIC will promptly develop the relevant ministerial ordinance etc.

4. How to obtain materials

Attachments 1 through 3 are available for inspection and distribution at the Tariff and Telecommunications Access Policy Division, Telecommunications Business Department, Telecommunications Bureau, MIC (10F, Building No. 2, Central Government Building).

*The published materials are in Japanese only.