Indotel is working to modernize the General Telecommunications Law

By Indotel

This is an automated translation of the press release issued in Spanish

Santo Domingo — The president of the Board of Directors of INDOTEL, Guido Gómez Mazara, stated that the institution is working on a project to modernize the General Telecommunications Law 153-98, which aims to strengthen the protection of users and the legality of the sector.

"There are plans to modernize Law 153-98 and to deepen the issue of user protection, which is fundamental and an essential, basic axis," said the head of Indotel during an interview with the newspaper Hoy.

He recalled that the current legislation dates back to 1998, and is therefore obsolete and needs to be amended to make its legal scope of action more efficient.

"We still have to work on interference and organize the spectrum in such a way, restricting and limiting illegal stations, so that citizens can enjoy a station," he explained.

He also said that the institution is focused on creating conditions to encourage and increase investment levels in the telecommunications sector, helping it to become more dynamic and resilient.

He pointed out that on this basis, INDOTEL has to do important work in two directions: to have legal protection, and secondly, to stimulate significant levels of investment.

Cell phone theft

On the subject of cell phone theft, Gómez Mazara suggested that INDOTEL will build a mechanism to guarantee citizens that the phone they purchase is of quality and that it generates protection mechanisms.

"The first conversation we had with the providers was to agree on a mechanism within Indotel that would make the pursuit of stolen phones and their return more efficient," he emphasized.

Digital Terrestrial Television

The official also provided information on the progress of the transition to Digital Terrestrial Television in the country, the digital switch-on and the process of delivering signal converters.

“On November 21, which is International Television Day, the first blackout will take place. This is the first phase, which includes the east, Greater Santo Domingo and the main municipalities of San Cristóbal. We believe in the principles of continuity of State, and what we did was to give continuity to what was proposed,” he said.

He explained that phases two and three will occupy the northern and southern regions of the country.

He argued that in order to achieve this process, a survey was conducted where the institution and the IDB agreed on an assessment to locate throughout the national territory the families and homes that in one way or another could be left behind by the technological leap.

"In light of this, 940 thousand homes were identified that are in a situation where the poverty factor is present, in terms of the income of the head of the household," he said.

Finally, he said that the digital blackout cycle will take almost a year and that the entire process is expected to be completed by 2026.

Cybersecurity

In terms of cybersecurity, he said that INDOTEL has to face challenges such as the theft of information, the perpetration of criminal activities from prisons and the operation to reduce cell phone theft.

Regarding artificial intelligence, he expressed his support for this technology, however, he agrees that it must be regulated to prevent it from being used for harmful actions.