The Verkhovna Rada did not vote for the law on fines for communication operators if they cannot provide communication during power outages

MPs of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (the Ukrainian Parliament) did not support in the first reading the law No. 11431 on the settlement of the issue of state supervision in the field of electronic communications and operational assurance of the sustainability of electronic communications networks.

The MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported this.

They tried to vote for the draft law twice: the first time it was supported by 199 deputies, in the second attempt — 206. The necessary minimum is 226 votes of parliamentarians, so this draft law was rejected.

The draft law provides for fines for operators for not ensuring uninterrupted communication when turning off the lights. At the same time, the European Business Association, the American Chamber of Commerce and the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs opposed the bill.

They emphasized the following risks:

• the draft law increases the pressure on business and control, increasing fines and revenues to the budget at their expense;
• new fines and controls will pose a threat to planned investments and development of the industry.

The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) noted in its opinion on draft law No. 11431 that the law will not guarantee communication in case of systematic power outages, but will become a tool for increasing corruption pressure.

The conclusion of NAPC states that the draft law does not provide for clear rules, which increases the risk of corruption abuses.

"Unreasonable strengthening of liability by increasing the size of the fine creates conditions for regulatory pressure on providers of electronic communication networks and/or services for the purpose of corruption," says the agencyʼs report.

The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on anti-corruption policy noted in its conclusion that draft law No. 11431 does not meet the requirements of anti-corruption legislation.

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