New Israeli Draft Bill Would Simplify Licensing Requirements For Telecom Services

The Israeli Ministry of Communications published for public comments a draft bill proposing to amend the Communications Law (Telecom and Broadcasting), which would revolutionize the telecommunication licensing scheme.

The draft bill proposes to change the existing regime in a way that would reduce the bureaucratic burden, lower barriers to market-entry, and conform to the globally acceptable norm in the field of telecommunications.

The draft bill proposed to eliminate the obligation to obtain a specific license in advance as a condition for performing telecommunication activities and to repeal the existing distinction in the current law between the types of licenses (general, unique, and special licenses). Instead, the draft bill proposes that regulatory oversight of telecommunication services in Israel would be achieved through a general authorization scheme, based on a public document that prescribes the conditions that apply to all telecommunication services