“The law Spring” put on the map
Business asks for more to soften the requirements for data storage.
Mitigation anti-terrorism “law of Spring” in the field of data storage provided by the Ministry of communications, did not accept the Russian Union of Industrialists and entrepreneurs (RSPP). Business representatives insist that the requirements will still lead to growth of tariffs for communication services for 12-90% and will absorb the investment budgets of the operators. Experts propose to further reduce the timing and volumes of stored information, and to introduce a phased implementation of the law until 2022, not only in time but also geographically, to limit the load on the power grid.
The Commission on communication and telecommunication and information technologies RSPP have prepared a report (“b”) on the draft resolution of the Ministry of communications data retention “law of Spring”. The document was signed by head of RSPP Alexander Shokhin and 1 February addressed to the Deputy head of the Ministry of communications Dmitry Alkhazov and Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. In the Secretariat, Mr Dvorkovich said that with the conclusion of yet not familiar, the communications Ministry began to answer the questions, “Kommersant”.
As reported by “Kommersant”, revised version of the decree partially takes into account the proposals of the RSPP. In particular, there is no requirement to determine the storage capacity of information based on the installed capacity of the communication networks and the requirement for the storage of transit traffic. It “will significantly reduce the amount of stored information,” recognize the Union. But the execution even of such rules may lead to termination of development of communication networks in the country, “as will fully absorb the investment budgets of Telecom operators or will lead to significant growth of tariffs for communication services (12-90% depending on service and operator)”, said in conclusion.
In the modified project of the Ministry of communications operators will have to store the actually delivered traffic, with the exception of voice, within 30 days. According to the Commission of the RSPP, the cost of execution of these requirements within five years for MTS will amount to 43 billion rubles, VimpelCom — at least 63 billion roubles, “the Megaphone” — about 40 billion rubles, MGTS up to 17 billion rubles, “ER-Telecom Holding” — about 50 billion rubles.
The RSPP also specifies that under the “law of Spring” is not put a dedicated telephone communication network of the industrial enterprises, which would entail significant costs for companies that use them. Such networks are, for example, ALROSA, Russian Railways and LUKOIL. In addition, the market is not required to implement the equipment requirements and the architecture of existing systems to ensure operational-investigative measures (SORM-1) cannot be modified, the message reads.
This means that the implementation of the requirements of the “law of Spring” from 1 July 2018 virtually impossible, given the procurement procedures and processes of budgeting operators, concludes the Union.
The Commission proposes to reduce the timing and volumes of stored information, to exclude the traffic to dedicated networks and special purpose networks, and traffic for enterprise users. A stepwise implementation of the requirements until 2022 inclusive. The “phasing should address not only the timing of store traffic, but also the geography of networks”, underlines the Commission. A small postponement of the entry requirements was made by Arkady Dvorkovich, the sources of “Kommersant” said that we are talking about October 2018.
Geographical phasing is needed also to avoid a sharp rise in energy costs, according to the curator of the working group “Communication and IT” of the expert Council under the government of Irina Levova. In her estimation, the most energy-deficient regions of Russia for full implementation of the “law of Spring”. “Huge data centers that have yet to build, would consume incomparably more than now, the volume of electricity, and not so much on actual consumption, how much cooling,” explains MS Levova. Strict compliance with the requirements of the law, therefore, would lead to rolling blackouts in big cities and regional centers, she said. Assessment of the group “Communication and IT” maximum acceptable data retention “law of Spring” — just three days.
In the negotiations between business and government in the “law of Spring” there is already progress, said the President “ER-Telecom Holding”, Andrey Kuzyaev, “I Hope you will be able to reach consensus and to find a balance between national security and digital economy development, and presented to the operators requirements will be balanced with the capabilities of the industry.” In the “MegaFon” reported that waiting for a final decision in terms of store traffic. At Vympelcom, MTS and MGTS declined to comment. The interlocutor of “Kommersant” in one of the operators added that after the adoption of the bylaws will require at least another year and a half to comply. Only after the regulations, he explained, operators will be able to start budgeting, procurement of equipment and its implementation in infrastructure.
Julia Silence.