Anacom forces operators to make offers clearer for customers

Dand according to the document, the regulator recalls that the Electronic Communications Act (LCE) provides that Anacom shall ensure that, “when the provision of Internet access services or interpersonal communications services accessible to the public is subject to terms and conditions, the set of information set out in Annex I to that law is published in a clear, exhaustive, up-to-date and machine-readable manner by all undertakings providing the services concerned” or by the regulator himself, “in coordination, where appropriate, with other competent authorities”.

This information, he said, should be “available in a format accessible to disabled end-users in accordance with EU law harmonising the accessibility requirements of products and services”.

In addition, according to the legal framework, it is up to Anacom to decide which “relevant information to be published by companies offering publicly available Internet access services or interpersonal communications services and also the information to be published” by the regulator itself, where applicable, “so that all end-users can choose the services to be hired in an informed manner and may, where appropriate, promote self-regulation or co-regulation measures before imposing any obligations”.

Therefore, the law in question, recalled Anacom, provides that “in a seconded place and easily accessible by end-users, updated information” should be published on their websites, such as contact details and description of the services offered, including prices, among other points.

Companies shall also disclose dispute resolution mechanisms as well as normal contractual conditions, “including the duration of the loyalty period, the charges arising from the early termination of the contract, the rights related to the termination of contracts relating to packages of services or elements thereof, the direct procedures and charges related to the portability of numbers and other identifiers”, in addition to several other information.

“ Within a maximum of 5 working days following the publication of the offers on the respective web pages, companies shall communicate to Anacom the URL addresses of the web pages through which they disclose the information published in accordance with this Regulation,” he said.

The Regulation shall enter into force within 120 working days, in accordance with the document.