KYIV, Apr. 5 (Ukrainian News) – The majority of factions in parliament intend to support changes to Ukraine’s communications law that would cancel payments for incoming calls on mobile networks, faction representatives said Wednesday.
“Payment for incoming calls is an example of trade with coercive obligations. We need to make order here,” said Deputy Vitaly Chernenko of the Batkivshchyna faction in parliament.
Deputies said that the existing payment for incoming calls infringes on consumer rights.
“Everyone pays the subscription payment, and we pay for outgoing calls. Why should we pay for incoming calls as well?” said Oleksy Marchenko of the Regional Rebirth faction said.
Deputies also justified the cancellation of payments by the large amount of wrong numbers or unwanted calls, for which subscribers are forced to pay.
“I just go crazy when I am loaded down with other people’s problems on my money. It’s not always clear who is calling me,” said Volodymyr Alekseev of the Communist Party faction.
People’s Deputies Borys Bespaly and Volodymyr Bondarenko drafted changes to the law On Communications that cancel payments for incoming mobile telephone calls.
The Parliament Committee on Construction, Transportation, and Communications recommended that parliament approve the draft law on its first reading.
All Ukrainian mobile operators charge for incoming calls.
In February of this year, the number of mobile phone subscribers increased 10.35 percent compared to January, to 991 thousand people.
