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Russia: Medvedev supports introduction of fees for all radio frequencies Print E-mail
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev supports the introduction of radio frequency fees for the use of the entire spectrum, including unused frequencies.

"I think this is an interesting idea, but I would like the government to work on this issue. I am sure that special users (including the military) will not be happy, but, in any case, this is a possibility to simplify the situation dramatically. If you possess a resource but do not use it, you should pay money for it", Medvedev said.

"The fees should be reasonable, but enough to prompt the user to either use it or transfer the relevant right", he added.

The proposal was originally put forward by Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov.

Telecommunications and Mass Communications Minister Igor Shchegolev said that payment procedures for the use of the radio frequency spectrum are unchanged since 1998 and he sees a shift to one-time payments for frequency permits.

Source: BBC Monitoring and Interfax - WDR/Intelecon Regulatory News.