“Rostelecom” set unreasonably excessive tariffs for the services of assigning locations in cable channels

On 30 January 2017, FAS found that “Rostelecom” PJSC violated the antimonopoly law. The company fixed and applied excessive tariffs for the services of making available cable line infrastructure (CLI) for use (Part 1 Article 10 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”).

The case was opened upon the statements of the Department of the Ministry of Interior in the Khabarovsk region, “Regional Digital Telecommunications Company” Ltd. and “Kuznetsk Commercial Telephone Network” Ltd. that “Rostelecom” PJSC unreasonably increased the tariff for the services of assigning locations in cable channels.

“Rostelecom” PJSC has the dominant position in Khabarovsk and Novokuznetsk.

On 24 September 2015, “Rostelecom” PJSC approved the method for estimating the costs of making available the company’s integrated resources for use, according to which the tariff for assigning locations in cable channels, applied since 19 October 2015, was calculated.

Based upon analysis of this method, FAS ascertained the facts of unreasonably including the costs for reconstructing and restoring cable channels in the costs estimate formula, as a result of which the most part of the costs for reconstruction and restoring are borne by the economic entities, who place cables in the channels of Rostelecom” PJSC. It infringes the interests of other persons (economic entities) in business operations and restricts competition on the markets of local, intrazone, long-distance and international telephony, Internet access and telecommunications services for TV-and radio-broadcasting.

A determination to eliminate the violation of the antimonopoly law will be issued to the companies within the statutory period.