Argentina declares internet, mobile and pay-TV services 'essential'
Argentina’s Congress has approved an August 21 decree declaring internet, mobile and pay-TV services “essential” and preventing operators from hiking prices until the end of the year.
“As we face the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, nobody should have to give up part of their income to cover price increases on those services,” President Alberto Fernández tweeted, pledging to “guarantee access for everyone.”
Telecom lobbyist GSMA warned, however, that “far from guaranteeing access to all citizens, the provisions jeopardize the quality of consumer services.”
Earlier this year, Argentina's operators accepted the government’s request to freeze telephony, internet and pay-TV rates until the end of August to help family budgets affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.
The rate freeze has now been effectively extended until the end of 2020.
Argentine telecom rates have risen 8% so far this year, compared to 64% in 2019. During the right-wing Mauricio Macri administration (2015-19) - when rates were deregulated - telecom affordability fell by 32%.
The watchdog also said sector investments must be targeted at reaching the most disadvantaged during the pandemic and beyond.
Argentina has among the region's widest access to telecom services, with 83% of households online and 84% with mobile phone service - though nearly 40% of those without a high school degree lack these services.
At: https://www.telecompaper.com/news/argentina-declares-internet-mobile-and-pay-tv-services-essential-freezes-prices--1351387
Argentine Communications Regulator Claudio Ambrosini (left) discusses telecom policy with President Alberto Fernández.
Fernández considers telecom and internet “a constitutionally recognized right” - particularly given their central role in virtual classes held nationwide amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Their declaration as essential services follows similar policies in (among others) Canada, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, and South Korea.
