NA members want new law to ban import of discarded electronic goods
Service fees and product standards offered by telecommunications companies as well as the import of discarded electronic products were among the concerns raised by National Assembly members during a debate on the newly drafted Law on Information and Communication Technology. The draft law was made available for NA consideration on November 7, with NA Vice President Dr Bounpone Bouttanavong presiding over the debate. The available 3G and 4G internet signals have been a source of public complaint, with consumers saying that the quality of these services does not match what is advertised. But many Assembly members found the explanation given by telecoms officials reasonable as they said that numerous customers are sharing a small bandwidth because providers cannot invest in the installation of larger bandwidth in this small market of about 5 million users. Speaking at the debate, NA member for Savannakhet province Mr Sanya Praseuth referred to the explanation given by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications but said users were being taken advantage of as the services were not appropriate with the amount of money invested in obtaining 3G and 4G coverage.
