El Salvador lawmakers agree to extend prepaid balances

El Salvador legislators are looking to introduce reforms to the country's telecoms and consumer protection laws that will increase the duration of users' outstanding prepaid balances to six months, while also allowing customers to sign service contracts as short as three months.

In a statement, the country's legislative assembly said the economy committee voted in favor of the reforms "to eliminate abusive practices and unwarranted charges in fixed and mobile telephony, internet and cable."

The proposed reforms will also allow customers to cancel services that don't comply with contract terms or present failures, it added.

The committee has been discussing the reforms since last year to ensure quality of internet and telecommunications services in a country where only 29% of the population accesses the internet, according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data. El Salvador ranks 119 in ITU's 176-country ICT development index.

The proposals, expected to be discussed by the full assembly this week, also include rights to privacy considerations that could limit unauthorized advertising, as well as setting time limits for companies to call their subscribers.