NCC
Law Source Retrieving System Laws And Regulations

Print Date：115/11/15 06:05

Voice-based Telecommunication Universal Service includes uneconomic public payphones and telephone service in uneconomic areas.

The telecommunication enterprises with significance in the fixed telecommunications network voice retail service market, by June 1 of the year prior to the fiscal year in which universal service is implemented (hereafter named the "implementation year"), submit the Annual Universal Service Implementation Plan (hereafter named the "implementation plan") based on the cabinet-level municipalities, counties and cities which are publicly designated as the implementation units by the competent authority, and apply to the competent authority for accreditation as universal service providers for uneconomic public payphone and telephone services in uneconomic areas.
Apart from those with significance in the fixed telecommunications network voice retail service market of local Internet service as referred to in the preceding paragraph, other telecommunications enterprises installing fixed or mobile telecommunications networks may also submit applications in accordance with the preceding paragraph.
The "Implementation Year" as stated in paragraph 1 refers to the calendar year from January 1 to December 31.
The competent authority shall publicize the Implementation Plan in accordance with paragraph 1 and paragraph 2 no later than July 1 of the year prior to the implementation year. Telecommunications enterprises installing fixed or mobile telecommunications networks may once again submit improved implementation plans no later than August 1 of the same year, and apply for accreditation as a universal service provider for telephone service in uneconomic areas.
The competent authority, before approving the previous implementation plan, shall compare the net universal service costs, requested subsidy amounts, and the predicted improvements in service penetration and quality as outlined in various implementation plans; and in consideration with the actual operating abilities of the applicants, the competent authority shall then choose the best implementation plan; if necessary, the competent authority must request the applicant to amend its proposed implementation plan.

The implementation plan shall clearly outline the following items:
1. The indicators of universal rate and service quality prior to the implementation of the universal service in the implementation year.
2. Predictions of maintenance or improvement of the universal rate and service quality indicators of the telephone service in uneconomic area after implementation of the universal service in the implementation year.
3. Implementation solutions and the tariffs of the universal service in the implementation year.
4. Estimates of the net universal service costs of the implementation year, and the amount of subsidies required.
5. Detailed calculations of the net universal service costs required in the implementation year.
Implementation plans published by the competent authority (NCC) under Articles 6 and 18 of the Regulations, excluding the contents of Subparagraph 5 of the preceding paragraph.

The net universal service costs for voice-based telecommunication service are the avoidable costs incurred by the universal service provider in connection with the fulfillment of the service obligation less any revenues forgone.

The avoidable costs of the telephone service in uneconomic area shall be calculated in accordance with the formula as stated in Appendix 1.
The revenue forgone for the fixed telecommunications service in an uneconomic area shall be the sum of the following listed revenues as collected from the provision of telephone and other related services by the universal service providers in a single local private branch exchange network of the remote area:
1. Monthly rental revenue.
2. Phone charge revenue.
3. Installation and connection revenue.
4. Extension charges.
5. Internet connection charges.
6. Rental revenue from leased circuit or other networking equipment.
7. Internet access service revenue.
8. Other service revenue.
9. Other non-operating revenue.
The revenue forgone for a single transmission station providing universal service shall consist of relay transmission circuit revenue and a certain proportion of the following revenues derived from mobile telecommunication services provided by the universal service provider:
1. Monthly rental revenue.
2. Telecommunication charge revenue.
3. SMS revenue.
4. Other revenue.
The proportionate revenue derived from mobile telecommunication services provided by the aforementioned universal service provider shall be calculated based on the ratio of the average data transmission volume of transmission stations in the village designated in the preceding paragraph to the total data transmission volume of transmission stations nationwide, multiplied by the difference between the universal service provider’s revenue for the current year and the previous year. If the aforementioned revenue difference is negative, the revenue shall be calculated as zero.
The district in which the single local private branch exchange network serves crosses remote and non-remote areas, the universal service provider shall, in its calculations of the total net universal service costs of the telephone service in an uneconomic area, include the net universal service cost incurred by the district in which the single local private branch exchange network serves.

The avoidable costs of uneconomic public payphone service shall be calculated in accordance with the formula as stated in Appendix 2.
The revenue forgone for an uneconomic public payphone service shall be the service income as derived from a single public payphone booth.
The following are the subsidy methods of Uneconomic Public Payphone service:
1. Subsidize two uneconomic public payphone booths within a radius of two hundred meters in remote areas.
2. Subsidize one uneconomic public payphone booth within two square kilometers.
The competent authority (NCC) shall, in accordance with the actual requirement, adjust the subsidy amount of the installation of uneconomic public payphones in government bureaus, local schools, hospitals, prisons, military camps, train stations, airports, congress, and mountainous areas; the subsidy is not limited by the preceding paragraph.