June 13, 2025 Results of the Solicitation for Opinions on the Draft Ministerial Ordinance Partially Amending the Ministerial Ordinance that Partially Revises the Rules for Calculating Subsidies and Contributions Related to the Provision of Basic Telecommunications Services (hereinafter referred to as the "Draft Ministerial Ordinance"), and the Report from the Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council

　On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) consulted the Information and Communications and Posts Administrative Council, chaired by AIDA Hitoshi, specially appointed professor at the University of Tokyo, regarding the Draft Ministerial Ordinance (Consultation No. 3196 dated April 23, 2025).
　The opinion solicitation period ran from Thursday, April 24, 2025, to Friday, May 23, 2025.

1. Background and overview of the Draft Ministerial Ordinance

　The method for calculating the telephone universal service subsidies for FY2024 will be defined based on the following reports: "Future Direction of the Universal Service Subsidy System in Light of Changes in the Environment Surrounding Fixed-Line Telephony" (Report by the Information and Communications Council, September 20, 2022) and "Future Approach to Calculating Telephone Universal Service Subsidies for the 4th Quarter of FY2024" (Report by the Information and Communications Council, April 2, 2025). To this end, the Draft Ministerial Ordinance intends to partially amend the ministerial ordinance that partially revises the Rules for Calculating Subsidies and Contributions Related to the Provision of Basic Telecommunications Services (MIC Ordinance No. 53 of 2020).

2. Report and the results of the solicitation for opinions

(1) Today, we received a report stating that the Draft Ministerial Ordinance is appropriate.
(2) We received no comments in response to the opinion solicitation conducted from Thursday, April 24, 2025, to Friday, May 23, 2025.

3. Future plans

　The MIC plans to promptly improve the Rules based on this report.