Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 6 - Question: broadband costs more than 10,000 yuan a year! Who is "stuck in the neck" for "speed up and fee reduction"?
Xinhua News Agency "Xinhua Perspectives" reporters Guan Guifeng and Liu Taoxiong
Through the formal business hall for home broadband, the 300-megabit bandwidth network only needs more than 1,000 yuan per year; but in the office building network center, only corporate dedicated lines can be handled, and the 10-megabyte bandwidth needs more than 10,000 yuan per year...
Broadband service "speed up and fee reduction" is the direction that has been emphasized and worked hard from central to local in recent years. "The average tariff for broadband and dedicated lines has been reduced by 15%." At the two National Congresses in 2020, the government work report stated the above.
However, a recent investigation by Xinhua Vision found that the broadband “terminal prices” of some industrial parks and commercial buildings have not actually dropped, and properties and agents have become “intestinal obstructions” for “speeding up and reducing fees”.
Broadband monopoly: Broadband fee of more than 10,000 yuan per year
Mr. Wang, who rents an office in Beijing’s SDIC Fortune Plaza, recently told reporters that when he contacted Unicom and mobile companies to install broadband, he was informed that the office could not be installed because the equipment could not be laid. After consulting with the network center responsible for the network access of the office building, he learned that the bandwidth of the enterprise dedicated line started at 10 trillion, which was nearly 20,000 yuan a year. "The Unicom company's 100-megabyte bandwidth package will be more than 2,000 yuan a year." Mr. Wang said, according to his understanding, some tenants think that the price is high and choose to use a wireless network card router.
The reporter telephoned the office's network center, and the answer was that the tenant could only choose their corporate line, and could not choose the package of Unicom and other operators, because there was no equipment; but there was no quotation on the phone, and the price was asked on site.
A reporter's investigation found that some industrial parks or commercial buildings often have only one agent to provide network services; and although there are several operators providing services, there is only one agent, and companies can only purchase high-priced services from agents.
The broadband service of Runjiang Huigu Building in Shijiazhuang is provided by a service provider called Lizhuo Network. "With its network, the bandwidth of 20 trillion yuan is 6,000 yuan a year, and the speed of the network is extremely slow, even daily payment of online banking can not be satisfied." Staff of an enterprise in the Runjiang Huigu Building said that they wanted to directly handle Unicom's broadband, but they suffered Blocked by layers of property and Lizhuo network. The reporter contacted Lizhuo Network, the staff said that the 20 trillion special line was 20,400 yuan a year, according to her authority, she could discount 40% on this basis; the 50 trillion special line, 40,800 yuan a year, could discount 50% on this basis.
There are also many complaints about broadband monopolies on Internet complaint platforms such as Black Cat Complaint and Ju Complaint.
An enterprise user in a high-tech park in Shanghai once complained that the property united with an enterprise to monopolize the broadband business and arbitrarily collected line maintenance fees and pipeline occupancy fees. For a broadband or optical cable, the pipeline occupancy fee was 2,000 yuan; if you apply for it with an operator , You need to add a line maintenance fee of 20,000 yuan per year. "Many companies have swallowed their voices because of business needs, and they can't solve the 12345 complaint."
Some companies also reported to reporters that the property said that the broadband port on the floor is not enough, and they need to go upstairs. A port fee will be more than 2,000 yuan; but this floor actually has a port, and it may be just an excuse to collect extra money.
Intractable diseases: Broadband access is too much
In December 2018, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated that it would carry out a one-year special rectification work on broadband monopoly of commercial buildings nationwide, requiring basic telecommunications companies, etc., not to reach any form of exclusive agreements with real estate development companies, property management companies, etc. Or agree to guarantee the rights of equal access and free choice of users.
After the remediation, why is the broadband monopoly problem still difficult to cure?
"All broadband lines enter the enterprise users through the pipeline of the building. As long as the property is not willing to let a service provider enter the building, there are several ways to set up obstacles." Teng Lizhang, a lawyer at Beijing Leiteng Law Firm who has long been concerned about the problem, said .
——Exclusive agreement was signed at the beginning of construction. In Shijiazhuang, some office building builders chose a telecommunications operator as an exclusive partner to participate in the construction of office building telecommunications infrastructure at the early stage of construction and signed an exclusive agreement. There are more than 200 enterprises in the Shijiazhuang Jinshi Industrial Park, and one of the network companies, as a Unicom agent, monopolizes the broadband business in the park, and it is difficult to handle the broadband of other operators.
——The property ingeniously collects fees from network access service providers and enterprise users. For example, some properties will charge the network access service provider an entrance fee, a fee for weak pipe well occupation, and a construction supervision fee, etc.; when some properties enter a new enterprise user, the enterprise user will be reinstated on the ground that the communication network is incomplete "Go" the route again, and designate the relevant company for construction, and charge a construction fee.
——The acceptance and follow-up supervision are not in place. When some construction projects were completed, the competent departments did not strictly check the broadband access issues during the acceptance, and the investigation and punishment of violations in broadband access were not strong.
"For broadband access issues, the multi-regional communication management department and the housing construction management department have issued regulatory documents as regulators. The above practices violate the relevant regulations on broadband access and fail to guarantee equal access and users for all enterprises. The right to choose freely." Teng Lizhang said.
How to solve the "stuck neck" problem?
"Affected by the epidemic, we have a lot of pressure to survive, and some businesses cannot be carried out smoothly. I don’t want high broadband fees to be the last straw that crushes us." The head of an enterprise in Runjiang Huigu Building called for more. Telecommunications business operators who can choose to get through the "last 100 meters" of "speed up and fee reduction" as soon as possible, so that SMEs can truly enjoy the "speed up and fee reduction" bonus.
During the interview, the relevant person in charge of a number of enterprises said that they need to implement detailed relief policies for the enterprise, and look forward to standardizing broadband access services for business buildings, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of users, and reducing the burden for SMEs.
Independent telecommunications analyst Fu Liang believes that in order to break the broadband monopoly, there must be at least three telecommunications service providers in the office building to provide services at the same time, at least one of which is a basic operator such as mobile, telecommunications, and China Unicom. Industry competent departments and market supervision departments should strengthen daily supervision and inspection, and if they find monopolistic behaviors or malicious price increases, they shall take corresponding punishment measures.
"If the basic telecom operators use their market dominance to require the property to sign an exclusive agreement with themselves, it is suspected of violating antitrust laws." Teng Lizhang said.
The reporter consulted the relevant management regulations on broadband access in multiple places, which put forward corresponding requirements for real estate development companies and property service companies. For example, if they cannot sign any monopoly or exclusive agreements with telecom operation agency companies and basic telecom operation companies, they should Relevant information of access to basic telecommunications operating companies is publicized in a prominent position in the building, etc.; also clarified the respective responsibilities of the communication management department, housing urban and rural construction department and market supervision and management department.
Teng Lizhang believes that to solve the problem of "speeding up and lowering fees" caused by the property's "neck", it should ensure that the property provides users with complete network access supporting facilities, prohibits the property from charging users for various types of fees related to network access, and prohibits the property from charging Fees such as field fees; the property should also promptly announce the building's network access provider and charging standards, and the relevant standards should be used as an attachment to the house sale or lease contract.
The relevant person in charge of the Hebei Provincial Communications Administration said that it will continue to increase market supervision and crack down on illegal and illegal acts that disrupt the operation of the telecommunications market, and recommends that operators continue to improve the broadband access product system for SME customers.