The Government authorized monthly increases until the end of the year in pay television, telephony and internet. Licensees may apply successive increases of up to 4.5% from May to December 2023.
The measure was taken by the National Communications Entity and published in the Official Gazette through the Resolution 557/2023. It bears the signature of the president of Enacom, Claudio Ambrosini.
“Without neglecting the dialogue with the sector, noting that the last increase authorized by this ENACOM was of successive and monthly application in the period between January and April 2023; corresponds authorize new increases with a similar application from May to December 2023, evaluated in the economic context and difficulties faced by all the actors involved, providers and user public”, reads the text.
“Following this temperament, the requirements for new increases are based on the higher costs and the impact of fluctuations in the main economic variables in the operations of the Licensees during the months elapsed since the beginning of the regulation of retail prices”, they added.
And they added: “Starting on the first day of each month after May 2023, successively and up to and including December 2023, the aforementioned Licensees may apply a new monthly increase in a percentage of up to 4.5% on the same prices, taking as reference the values updated to the last day of the previous month”.
Then, they remarked: “Any increase on retail prices that would have been applied by the Licensees of ICT or DTH (Satellite TV) Services and that exceeds the expressly authorized values (…) must be repaid to their users in the next invoice to be issued, with updating and interest subject to the same interest rate that they apply to their clients for late payment of invoices”.
“In those cases in which a user does not pay their invoice with increases greater than those authorized, the providers must refrain from calculating the current legal terms to proceed with the suspension of the service or apply, with cause in said invoices, the other provisions in force,” they concluded.
The last authorized increase
Prior to this regulation, the last authorized increase had been that of Resolution 2494/2022, in which it gave licensees permission to apply a rise in retail prices of up to 4% from January 1, 2023, on the value valid as of December 31, 2022.
As of February 1, the 4% allowed was maintained, while on March 1 and April 1 that guarantee dropped to 3.5% each month.
