It is ICP-ANACOM's mission to regulate, supervise and monitor the communications market, ensuring that consumers have affordable access to a plurality of quality products and services, while at the same time ensuring conditions which are conducive to innovation and to investment.
As part of its regulatory activity, it is incumbent upon ICP-ANACOM to instil and ensure conditions that enable a properly functioning market and the full assertion of economic agents, promoting competition. To accomplish its mission, ICP-ANACOM engages in a wide range of actions: conducting market analyses, determining provision of regulated offers and costing systems (and conducting respective oversight) and analysing the analytical accounting systems employed by operators and by universal service providers (USP), ensuring that the service is provided under optimal conditions, namely in terms of price and quality.
As the National Regulator Authority (NRA) for communications, efficient management of scarce public assets, such as the radio spectrum, is one of ICP-ANACOM's core responsibilities, taking into account changes in technology and the increasing application of the principles of technological neutrality and also with a view to the new possibilities opened by the Digital Dividend.
Communications security is another critical area. Here ICP-ANACOM has been given increased responsibility under the current regulatory framework for electronic communications, which introduced significant alterations to the remits of regulators in this area.
Regulatory supervision and oversight of the market is also central to ICP-ANACOM's activities, where it is responsible for ensuring compliance with the obligations of universal service (US), and also ensuring the application and enforcement of laws, regulations, technical requirements and other determinations. ICP-ANACOM is also responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of titles by which undertakings are authorised to engage in activities and with the provisions of concession contracts, and for ensuring compliance with the general authorisation scheme (in the case of electronic communications).
Additionally, ICP-ANACOM represents the Portuguese state at various international bodies and forums; providing technical representation in strict exercise of its assignments in various countries outside the EU and within organisations working in communications regulation, promoting cooperation and experience and knowledge-sharing.
ICP-ANACOM also advises the Government, upon request or on upon its own initiative, on the definition of strategic guidelines and general policies for communications, suggesting or proposing legislative or public policy measures.
But the one goal that underlies the regulator's work is the end-user, as the ultimate beneficiaries of regulation. While it does not have power to resolve consumer disputes, ICP-ANACOM is permanently engaged in protecting and safeguarding the rights of consumers and users in general. This work entails making decisions and overseeing the implementation of these decisions and enforcing current legislation; it also means promoting transparency by providing and requiring publication of more and better information about the range of offers available, about appropriate quality of service levels and about the pricing of communications services. Since it supports better decision-making, providing end-users with accurate and relevant information is seen as an essential step in safeguarding their interests.
- 1.1. ICP-ANACOM Regulatory activity in 2012 https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=352833
- 1.2. Efficiency and sustainability https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=352834
