Deputies of the State Duma of Russia approved in the first reading a bill that gives the Federal Security Service the right to disconnect not only mobile Internet, but also landline Internet and telephone services, RBC reported.
Amendments to the Law “On Communications“ were prepared by the government. They were submitted to parliament back in November.
The document includes two main innovations:
Communication service providers will be obliged to suspend any communication services at the request of the FSB. The stated purpose of this measure is “to protect citizens and the state from security threats“. The cases in which such threats may arise should be described in a presidential decree or a separate government resolution.
The bill exempts operators from financial liability to customers for such interruptions.
According to the Federal Law “On Communications”, a communication service is the activity of receiving, processing, storing, transmitting and delivering telecommunications messages or mail. A communications operator is a legal entity or individual entrepreneur providing communications services under the relevant license.
Therefore, the bill applies to all types of communications, including fixed Internet and telephone services.
The explanatory note to the bill states that the changes are necessary to regulate relations in the field of security and the fight against terrorism.
The authors of the bill argue that the implementation of the measures envisaged in the bill will not lead to negative socio-economic, financial or other consequences, including for business.
As Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Media Ivan Lebedev explained, the need for the amendments is dictated by numerous lawsuits against operators. He also emphasized that cellular communications should be restricted during drone attacks.
Restrictions on mobile Internet are periodically introduced in Russia. The authorities began to take such measures after the beginning of the military conflict with Ukraine and the drone attacks. They are being implemented not only in the regions, but also in large cities: one of the latest major outages was in St. Petersburg yesterday. Authorities attributed the connection problems to "security measures". President Vladimir Putin arrived in the city on Monday.
Mobile Internet restrictions have also been imposed in the Moscow region. On May 5, users in Moscow complained of interruptions in mobile Internet and communications across all major mobile operators for about an hour. The Unified State Emergency Response System sent a message to Moscow residents informing them that the problems with Internet access were related to security measures for festive events. On May 5, a rehearsal for the air parade dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War was held in Moscow.