News in telecommunications at the national level with the approval of the new Draft General Telecommunications Law by the Government of Spain, previously proposed. In this new project, the Government transposes the European directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 11, 2019. In that European directive, the new European Code of Electronic Communications was established.
With the arrival of this new Bill, the government introduces measures to encourage investment in networks and, above all, improve communication between administrations. The new Bill establishes the creation of a single point for information and processing of permits for the deployment of networks.
Simpler procedures for the deployment of infrastructures
In the new General Telecommunications Law Project, the Government tries to encourage investments in the sector, especially in order to comply with its own 2025 project that must bring high speed to 100% of the population. However, the text itself begins by remarking that Spain has one of the most extensive networks in Europe, but still you want to go ahead and reinforce everything you already have.
The Bill introduces measures such as the installation of common telecommunications infrastructures inside buildings (ICT), or the coordination of civil works for the deployment of very high capacity networks. The law incorporates the establishment of voluntary access commitments or the possibility of deploy low power stations, and for this, many of the current administrative burdens are freed in order to streamline all procedures.
With the Bill also comes what is known as the “European Union Connectivity Toolbox”. This toolbox will be in charge of empowering coordination between administrations that until now worked in parallel. Thus, a single point will be created for information and permitting for future network deployments. Another novelty of the Bill is that it establishes a communication regime for the installation and exploitation of submarine cables, something that lands in Spain for the first time.
Reinforcement of rights for users and goodbye to booths
Spain is much closer to Europe in terms of rights for users with the arrival of this Bill. It is established a maximum of 24 months for stays, service package contracts are regulated and procedures such as contract extensions or changes of operator will also be streamlined without penalties.
The Bill incorporates rights such as the release of the SIM so that users can move to the operator of their choice, or allow the prepaid balance to be kept in such moves. You can also keep the phone number for one month after having terminated a contract with an operator, and you will have the right to free forwarding of emails after the migration, or access to them once the contract has expired. The latter in the event that the operator in question offers us an email tray, of course.
E-mail and online training are already basic access goods for the Government while eliminating telephone booths
Users with sensory diversity also receive new rights with this Bill, and the universal service is updated so that users can have affordable access to electronic communications. Access to services such as email and online training now considered basic. And of course, the end of phone booths and phone books is established. The social bonus can be requested from any operator, by the way.
All this is what comes with the new General Telecommunications Law Project already approved by the Government of Spain. The project is part of the reforms already established in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan for which they had been approved future investments of up to € 4 billion of public funds.