PRESS: Govt may exempt operators from remote areas devt costs

MOSCOW, Apr 21 (PRIME) -- The Russian government is mulling exemption of the connection operators from paying 1.2% of revenue for development of connection in small towns in 2022, business daily Vedomosti reported on Thursday, quoting sources.

The exemption is among the economic support measures amid the sanctions imposed by the unfriendly countries distributed by the office of First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov to the ministries on April 11.  

Networks in small towns, which are unprofitable for commercial companies, are operated by state-controlled Rostelecom, appointed by the government. Rostelecom uses money from the universal service fund, to which the mobile operators contribute 1.2% of their revenue.

The sources said the mobile operators pay to the fund every quarter to install fixed-line and mobile connection and Internet access.

A Digital Development Ministry representative confirmed to the daily that the moratorium on deductions to the fund in 2022 is being considered.

End %%ee/jst%%