The State Duma clarified the requirements for telecom operators when placing networks in homes

The State Duma IT Committee recommended amendments to the second reading of the bill on access of telecom operators to residential buildings. They clarify the requirements for telecom operators. Companies may be required to enter into contracts with energy supply organizations to power the infrastructure; the procedure for installing and dismantling networks will be described. Agreements concluded between operators and management companies before the law came into force can be terminated unilaterally. Major operators unanimously support the project. But some unscrupulous companies, experts say, are currently not paying for electricity, and the new standards will not please them.

Kommersant got acquainted with the table of amendments to the second reading of the bill on free access of telecom operators to apartment buildings, prepared by the State Duma Committee on Communications and IT. It follows from it that the project will describe in more detail the requirements for telecom operators when placing networks in homes: in particular, they must have a separate agreement with the energy supply company and pay for electricity for the infrastructure according to it. Now the draft only says that the amount of payment for electricity for operators “is determined in the manner established by law.”

The table also clarifies the rules of interaction between the operator and the management company, according to which the procedure for eliminating damage caused by the telecom operator to common property during the installation or dismantling of equipment, as well as compensation, should have been described.

A new clause has also appeared stating that all agreements concluded between telecom operators and management companies before the initiative came into force and providing for payment for the use of public infrastructure can be terminated unilaterally by either party. The current version of the project states that management companies cannot increase fees for telecom operators under existing contracts until the end of 2024.

Since the end of August, in different areas of Moscow, management organizations, including institutions of the State Budgetary Institution “Zhilishchnik”, have already begun to break contracts with telecom operators for the placement of their networks in apartment buildings, offering to renegotiate them at a higher price (see Kommersant on October 30 ).

MTS told Kommersant that they participated in the development of the amendments: “They provide for reasonable requirements for both operators and management companies.” MTS considers the terms and conditions of contracts with power engineers and compliance with technical requirements acceptable. MegaFon also supports the initiative: “The importance of free access for residents of apartment buildings to high-quality communication services today is difficult to overestimate.” “We believe that the proposed measures will have a positive impact on the quality of communication services, their availability and competition,” says VimpelCom.

Alexey Slukin, editor of the specialized Telegram channel “Telekommunalka”, notes that now each operator proceeds from its own internal standards and regulations: “Taking into account the fact that in new buildings the infrastructure for connection is being laid out, the placement rules should standardize approaches to installation.” He believes that in terms of payment for electricity, the amendments should reduce the number of contacts between operators and management companies. “At a minimum, minus one line in settlements with management companies. But there is a problem with unscrupulous operators who power home communication centers from the “entry light bulb”. The management company often turns a blind eye to this, and the costs of electricity from the switch are recorded for general house needs, after which they are distributed among the residents’ accounts. Now everyone will be obliged to put this in order,” says Alexey Slukin.

Alexey Zhabin, Yulia Tishina