Human rights watch sees crucial to keep Internet tariffs amid crisis

MOSCOW, Apr 15 (PRIME) -- The Russian Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights has found it necessary to restrain growth of Internet tariffs amid self-isolation, imposed late March through the end of April, the council said late Tuesday on its website.

“The members of the council are concerned about reports on a significant rise in tariffs for wireline Internet access. Rights advocates think that it is inadmissible to hike tariffs in the climate of the coronavirus pandemic,” the statement read.

The council’s member Alexander Sokurov said it is essential to keep tariffs while people self-isolate for their communication and work.

His colleague Igor Borisov said that the number of subscribers increased along with traffic consumption, which raised revenue of providers and allows them to postpone revising prices up.

Information and analytical agency TelecomDaily earlier said that 84% of fixed-line operators in the country expect tariffs to increase by more than 10% in 2020.

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