Armenian Human Rights Defender’s Assessment of the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission Activities in 2011.

Armenian Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan has issued an evaluation of the Public Services Regulatory Commission activities for 2011.

The assessment is as follows:

Shortcomings and problems identified

• Though in 2011 new rates were prescribed by the Commission for the services, however, the list of rates- approved by N340 N decision made by the Commission on 24 August, 2007 and also by decision N530 N on 16 November, 2007 – has not been complied with the list of services subject to rate regulation - approved by decision N273 made on 20th May, 2008.

• In the sphere of wireless telephony, in certain cases, the service company did not provide equal facilities for the population.

• The society has not been properly aware of handling of disputes on electric power fluctuations or outages and the Commission’s powers on resolution of such problems.

• Lack of alternative laboratories (basically inspection of gas and electricity meters) caused distrust of the population towards reliability of metering devices test results. The Commission has not raised the problems.

• The problem of twenty-four-hour water supply is still topical.

Positive Developments

• The Commission has provided free “short” telephone numbers to 19 public bodies and organizations (ESM, HRDO and etc.).

• In 2011 the Commission reconsidered tariffs for drinking water and made a decision to reduce the tariff in 8 AMD.

• Certain changes have been made -in electric energy supply and utilization rules, as well as in fees of new consumer or the consumer's reconstructed consumption system accession to electrical network- according to decisions made during the session of the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission, held on 7 December, 2011. Prepayment dimensions of installation of single-phase and three-phase electronic multi-tariff meters have been reduced according to decisions made by the Commission.

• The Republic of Armenia is the fifth in the world, which has invested 4G wireless Internet network (LTE).