2023-11-28 09:40:00
People experiencing a major internet outage will be able to seek compensation in the future. This is what is provided for in a bill by Telecommunications Minister Petra De Sutter (Groen) which received the green light from the Council of Ministers last week.
According to Minister De Sutter, the number of complaints regarding internet outages has already doubled compared to last year. “At the end of November this year, the Telecom Ombudsman recorded 3,468 complaints, compared to 1,685 for the whole of 2022. We do not know the duration and severity of the reported outages”explained the environmental minister.
She recalled that telecommunications prices were not cheap in Belgium. “If there is a breakdown, compensation is the least operators can do for their customers”she estimated.
Financial compensation?
Still according to the minister, in Europe, Italians, Dutch, Germans and Spaniards already receive compensation in the event of a major internet outage. Belgium will soon join this quartet. To benefit from compensation, the breakdowns must be those which prevent you from browsing the internet, or making calls on a mobile or landline phone. If these total outages last more than eight hours, customers will be compensated by their operators.
Three compensation options are possible. This may involve compensation of one euro for the first day of the breakdown. This amount increases as soon as the outage lasts several days. “It can also be compensation of one thirtieth of the cost of the monthly subscription or free movies, for example,” said Ms. De Sutter. It is the operator who must inform the injured party of the possibilities for compensation.
The project is currently subject to the opinion of the Data Protection Authority. It will then be transferred to that of the Council of State.
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