Comments invited on legislative amendments for introducing the PRS service and increasing the information society fee
The Ministry of Transport and Communications invites comments on the government proposal for amending the Act on Electronic Communication Services and the Act on Transport and Communications Agency. The deadline for submitting opinions is 13 June 2022.
The aim is to make the necessary legislative amendments for the national-level introduction of the Public Regulated Service, PRS, of the European Galileo satellite navigation system in Finland in 2025.
Galileo is a global satellite navigation system of the European Union and the only satellite navigation system in the control of civilian authorities. Once completed, it would be parallel with the Global Positioning System, GPS, of the United States. The Galileo system is funded and controlled by the EU Member States. From the perspective of the EU Member States, even in crisis situations the use of the system does not involve any unpredictable uncertainties with respect to security or trade policy.
The PRS provides the users authorised by the public administration and the operators involved in society's critical infrastructure with continuous location and time data that is technically and operationally secure. The service will ensure that society's vital functions that depend on time and location data will continue without disruptions in all circumstances.
In November 2020, the Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy decided that Finland take the PRS service into use at national level. The introduction of the service requires the legislation on PRS to be specified.
The service provider for PRS would be Erillisverkot Group. The Finnish Defence Forces could provide the service for the needs of national defence.
Proposal to increase the information society fee
It is also proposed that the information society fee be increased. The Transport and Communications Agency is acquiring a location data service, in which information on the physical infrastructure of the existing networks and the locations of cables, pipes and similar active networks will be collected in the future.
The increase would cover the annual operating and maintenance costs incurred for the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency for the location data service.
What's next?
The deadline for comments on the draft is 13 June 2022. Organisations and private individuals are invited to comment online at www.lausuntopalvelu.fi or by email to [email protected].
The proposal concerns the 2023 budget proposal and is intended for consideration in connection with it.
Following the consultation round, Ministry officials will continue the preparations for the Act. The proposed amendments will be submitted to Parliament in September 2022. The acts are scheduled to enter into force on 1 January 2023.
Inquiries:
Suvi Kankare, Senior Specialist (PRS), tel. +358 295 342 105, [email protected]
Pirjo Karttunen, Senior Officer (information society fee), tel. +358 295 342 605, [email protected]
