Amendments to Rules for New Universal Service System
Overview
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications received a recommendation from the Council for Information and Communications and Postal Administration that the proposed amendments to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act and related rules are appropriate. In light of the amended Act and the Council’s third report, the amendments establish a framework to specify related procedures, including those accompanying the introduction of the last-resort service provision obligation. The recommendation also includes public comments and the Ministry’s views on them. The Ministry plans to promptly make the amendments and implement related measures based on these materials.
Key points
- The Council for Information and Communications and Postal Administration recommended that the proposed amendments to the ministerial ordinance and related rules are appropriate.
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications plans to promptly establish the framework based on the recommendation and the results of the public consultation.
- The proposed amendments specify related procedures accompanying the introduction of the last-resort service provision obligation and other measures.
Overview
The amended Act was passed during the 217th session of the Diet and promulgated on May 28, 2025. In light of recent changes in socioeconomic conditions, it provides for measures needed to secure universal service.
The Information and Communications Council began considering the specific details of the system in July 2025, and in October 2026 it compiled its “Third Report on the Framework for Basic Telecommunications Services Accompanying the Introduction of the Last-Resort Service Provision Obligation.”
Details
On August 28, 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications referred the proposed ordinance to the Council for Information and Communications and Postal Administration and received its recommendation that the amendments are appropriate. The recommendation includes comments submitted on the matters referred and the Council’s views on those comments.
The amendments cover the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act and related rules. Based on the provisions concerning the universal service system in the amended Act and the third report, they specify related procedures. An outline of the proposed ordinance and related rules, along with the results of the public consultation, is provided in an appendix.