The Synergy Foundation supported the Hearing Lite Foundation’s initiative to address the topic “Improving the access and selection of electronic communications services by end-users with visual and hearing disabilities” to the Communications Regulation Commission and its Chairman, Dr. Bozhkov. Our partners from the Graphia Foundation, the Visionary Association and the Social Inclusion Fund also supported the idea in the hope of calling for positive change. The CRC responded positively with a request for concrete proposals. Below we publish the text of our response letter, informing you in good time about the results.

TO:

DR VESELIN BOZHKOV

PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE

REGULATING MESSAGES

6, Gurko Str

1000, Sofia

Dear Dr. Bozhkov,

In connection with your letter of 20.03.2017 / Excl.No.12-01-3368 on “Improving the access and selection of electronic communications services by end-users with visual and hearing disabilities” I would like, on behalf of the Synergy Foundation, Thank you for the quick reaction! We are confident that ensuring equal access to information and communication services for people with disabilities could become a priority for both the public and the Bulgarian institutions. We are grateful that the Communications Regulation Commission follows European and world practices in this regard. On your issue of defining the criteria to be met by the persons for whom these special tariff plans are intended and the determination of the required documents required, we propose the following:

1. The persons who will use these plans to provide their TEMC decisions as an annex upon signing and re-signing a contract with the mobile operators should have reduced capacity to work.

2. Inclusion of a clause in the contracts obliging the users of the service not to pass on their plans to third parties.

3. Mobile operators should be able to change the plan as well as the ability to designate, timely and control their electronic customer service systems in order to enable disabled persons wishing to benefit from the relevant preferential tariff plans to be flexible in their choice and avoiding duplication, duplication and abuse.

We hope that mobile operators will take into account our offerings and provide real preferential terms and prices to the target groups of users with special needs. We remain available for cooperation and collaboration with CRC!