No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsBusinessPresident Solís to weigh in on proposed changes to Internet rates

President Solís to weigh in on proposed changes to Internet rates

President Luis Guillermo Solís has asked Guy de Teramond, a former minister of science and technology and one of the pioneers of the Internet in Costa Rica, and Alonso Castro, director of the University of Costa Rica’s Informatics Center, to help him draft an official recommendation regarding a proposed new model for pricing mobile Internet usage.

The Telecommunications Superintendency (SUTEL) on July 1 will hold a public hearing to propose that mobile Internet rates be billed according to the amount of transferred data, at ₡0.0075 per-kilobyte downloaded, instead of billing for connection speed, which is how postpaid plans currently operate.

Solís will weigh in on the proposed change, which has prompted a heated debate between carriers and customers in recent weeks, although the data transfer rate already applies for prepaid plans, beginning last year.

Earlier this week Solís met with SUTEL President Maryleana Méndez and representatives of the country’s three carriers, Claro, Movistar and Kölbi, to discuss the details of the proposed model.

Following the meetings the president said he has enough information to issue an opinion regarding SUTEL’s proposal, and that he will meet with the two experts to further clarify his arguments. Solís said any possible modification should demand from carriers a commitment to offer the best access for consumers, adequate quality and pricing, and sufficient information regarding changes in mobile plans.

Solís noted that, if approved, the new rates model should exclude students in satellite education programs who use mobile Internet to interact with teachers, mostly in rural areas.

“The use of digital technologies in modern societies is not a luxury of life. It is a crucial resource, and we need to ensure quality access with the best conditions of both speed and cost,” Solís said after a weekly Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

But opposition to changes has come from all directions. Justices from the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, this week are studying a complaint filed by a group of citizens who argue that the proposed rate model violates the public interest.

The country’s ombudswoman, Ofelia Taitelbaum, also opposes the changes, saying the proposal as published in the official newspaper La Gaceta is different from one originally submitted by SUTEL’s Marketing Department.

Taitelbaum said the drafting of the published document “does not indicate that the new rates model would be an alternative to the current model,” meaning that information received by citizens is different from that which SUTEL intends to approve.

The Consumers Association publicly said they oppose the changes, alleging that the proposal originated from a telecom carrier’s request and not from technical criteria by SUTEL.

“Carriers since 2012 have been asking that the approved change in rates for prepaid plans also be applied to postpaid ones,” the group’s vice president, Gilberto Campos Cruz, told The Tico Times.

The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 1, at 5:15 p.m. at SUTEL facilities in Escazú, southwest of San José. It also will be broadcast via video conferencing in court buildings in Cartago, Ciudad Quesada, Heredia, Liberia, Limón, Pérez Zeledón and Puntarenas.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Launches Traceability System to Tackle Illegal Logging

Costa Rica is advancing with the creation of a National Forest Traceability System, a key tool to guarantee the legality and sustainability of timber...

El Salvador Retries Environmentalists Over 1989 Wartime Killing

A new trial against five Salvadoran environmentalists, accused of murdering a woman in 1989 during the civil war, will take place on Tuesday, announced...

Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano Park Reopening to Tourists With Safety Measures

The Poás Volcano National Park will reopen its doors to tourism starting July 30, after  scientific entities reported a decrease in volcanic activity. This was...

Keylor Navas Joins Pumas After Controversial Exit from Newell’s

Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas is officially the newest player for Pumas UNAM, but his move from Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys has been anything...

Costa Rica Seeks New Air Routes Amid Decline in European Tourism

Costa Rica is working to increase the number of international flights entering the country, as it faces a concerning drop in tourist arrivals.  The...

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly Vacation in Costa Rica with Baby

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly touched down in Costa Rica for a family getaway with their three-month-old daughter, Saga Blade Fox-Baker. Photographers caught...
L. Arias
L. Arias
Reporter | The Tico Times |
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica