Govt undecided over plan for phone rate hike<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government is still undecided over the new
\nschedule for raising phone rates after it was forced to delay its
\nrate hike plan last month.<\/p>\n
\"If it were up to us (the government), we would want to
\nimplement the rate hike as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
\"But, we can't do that before finishing consultations with all
\nconcerned parties, including the House of Representatives and
\nconsumers,\" Director General of Posts and Telecommunications at
\nthe Ministry of Communications Djamhari Sirat said during a
\ndiscussion on phone rates.<\/p>\n
The government had allowed state telecommunications company PT
\nTelkom to raise phone rates by an average of 21.67 percent on
\nJune 10, but it canceled the plan following protests from the
\npublic who said that the rate increases proposed by Telkom could
\nhave raised phone bills by up to 167.86 percent.<\/p>\n
Under the rate increases, Telkom changes its current multiple
\nrate system for Jakarta into a so-termed single rate system.<\/p>\n
Rates under the multiple rate system are determined by the
\nduration of the call, the time of the call and the distance
\nbetween the caller and recipient. Under the proposed single rate
\nsystem, the rate is determined only by the duration of the call.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives has urged the government to
\nreview the proposed rate structure.<\/p>\n
Djamhari said that the government's special rates team had now
\ncome up with two alternatives.<\/p>\n
First, rates for all parts of the country would be increased
\nby between 5.34 percent and 28.9 percent, with rates for long-
\ndistance calls increased by 20.9 percent, local calls by 28.7
\npercent, monthly standing charges by 28.9 percent and rates for
\nresidential areas by 5.34 percent.<\/p>\n
The second alternative would be to implement a uniform rate
\nhike of 21.67 percent for local calls, long distance calls, and
\nthe monthly standing charge.<\/p>\n
Djamhari said that although the government's team had come up
\nwith the two alternatives, it had yet to decide which alternative
\nto implement.<\/p>\n
\"We are making them (the alternatives) known to the public,
\nfor instance, through discussions like these,\" he said.<\/p>\n
During the discussion, senior executive of the Indonesian
\nConsumers' Foundation (YLKI) Zoemrotin K.S. called on the
\ngovernment to cancel its plan to raise telephone rates, stating
\nthat it would greatly burden the public that is still struggling
\nwith the economic crisis.<\/p>\n
She disagreed with the government's reason that the rate
\nincrease was necessary in order to attract foreign investors into
\nthe country's telecoms industry.<\/p>\n
\"No matter how high phone rates are increased, investors will
\nnot come as long as social and economic conditions are still in a
\nmess,\" she said.(tnt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-undecided-over-plan-for-phone-rate-hike-1447893297",
"image": ""
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