Recognizing WSIS Impacts

PP RESOLUTION 196 (Busan, 2014)

Protecting telecommunication service users/consumers

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union ( Busan, 2014),

• recalling
  • a) Resolution 64 (Rev. Dubai 2014) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on protecting and supporting users/consumers of telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) services;
  • b) Article 4 of the International Telecommunication Regulations,
• recognizing
  • a) the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection;
  • b) § 13 e) of the Geneva Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information Society, which states that governments should continue to update their domestic consumer-protection laws to respond to the new requirements of the information society,
• considering
  • a) that consumer-related laws, policies and practices limit fraudulent, deceitful and unfair business conducts, and such protections are indispensable for building consumer trust and establishing a more equitable relationship between telecommunication/ICT entrepreneurs and consumers;
  • b) that telecommunications/ICTs can offer new and substantial benefits to consumers, including convenience and access to a broad range of goods and/or services, and the ability to collect and compare information about these goods and/or services;
  • c) that consumer trust in telecommunications/ICTs is bolstered by the continuous development of transparent, effective consumer-protection mechanisms that limit the presence of fraudulent, deceitful or unfair business conducts;
  • d) that education and dissemination of information on the suitable consumption and use of telecommunication/ICT products and services must be encouraged, mainly regarding the inputs of the digital economy, since consumers expect to have access to both the legal content and applications of these services;
  • e) that access to telecommunications/ICTs must be open and affordable;
  • f) that work is currently under way in Study Group 1 of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector on setting guidelines and best practices on consumer protection,
• instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau
  • 1 to bring to the attention of decision-makers and national regulatory authorities the importance of keeping users and consumers informed about the basic characteristics, quality, security and rates of the different services offered by operators, and of other protection mechanisms promoting consumer and user rights;
  • 2 to closely collaborate with the Member States in order to identify critical areas for the establishment of policies and regulatory frameworks for the protection of consumers and users;
  • 3 to strengthen relations with other international organizations and bodies that participate in the protection of consumers and users;
  • 4 to support the organization of international and regional forums for the dissemination of telecommunication user rights and for sharing experiences on best practices among member countries,
• invites the Member States
  • 1 to encourage the creation and promotion of policies that ensure the timely delivery of free, transparent, up-to-date and accurate information to end users about telecommunication services, including international roaming rates and relevant applicable conditions;
  • 2 to provide inputs that allow the dissemination of best practices and policies that have been implemented in order to increase the ability to develop public policies related to legal, regulatory and technical measures to address the protection of consumers and users, including data protection;
  • 3 to promote policies that foster the provision of telecommunication services in a manner that delivers suitable quality to the users;
  • 4 to promote competition in the provision of telecommunication services, encouraging them to formulate policies that drive competitive prices,
• invites Member States, Sector Members and Associates
  • to make contributions that allow the dissemination of best practices and policies related to user/consumer protection, service quality and service rates.