Page 120 - SAMENA Trends - June-July 2025

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

REGULATORY NEWS

US Universal Service Funding Program Restored in Supreme Court Ruling

The Supreme Court has upheld the fund the USF was constitutional. The court's libraries that rely on E-rate funding for their
constitutionality of the Universal Service majority opinion, delivered by Justice internet infrastructure. The USF has been
Fund (USF) and the FCC's authority to Kagan, stated that Congress's delegation a cornerstone of U.S. telecommunications
administer it. This decision, in a 6-3 of this power to the FCC was permissible policy for decades, with the goal of making
vote, ensures the continued operation under the Constitution. This ruling is communication services accessible and
of programs like E-rate, which provides a victory for proponents of universal affordable for all Americans. This Supreme
funding for internet access in schools service, including organizations like the Court decision reinforces the importance
and libraries, and preserves funding for Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), of this program in the digital age, where
underserved communities. The case, who have emphasized the critical role of internet access is increasingly essential
Federal Communications Commission v. the USF in ensuring access to affordable for education, healthcare, and economic
Consumers' Research, centered on whether broadband for schools, libraries, and opportunity.
the FCC's authority to collect contributions underserved communities. The decision
from telecommunications companies to also provides certainty for schools and

CITRA Launches Draft Regulation to Govern Telecom Service Distributors in
Kuwait

The Communications and Information
Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA)
has introduced a draft regulation titled
“Regulations for Mobile and Virtual Tele-
communications Services Distributors,”
marking a significant step toward regulat-
ing telecom service distributors in Kuwait.
These distributors are vital intermediaries
delivering mobile and virtual communi-
cation services on behalf of licensed pro-
viders The draft regulation is now open
for public consultation, reflecting CITRA’s
commitment to transparency, stakeholder
engagement, and enhancing service stan-
dards amid Kuwait’s ongoing digital trans- Compliance with national workforce quo- notify CITRA prior to agreement chang-
formation. CITRA emphasized that no final tas es, maintain employee identification and
decisions will be made without input from Payment of a non-refundable annual li- surveillance systems, implement cyber-
telecom operators, technical and legal ex- cense fee of KWD 5,000 plus a matching security measures, and comply with labor
perts, distributors, and other relevant par- unconditional bank guarantee regulations. General provisions include
ties. One-year renewable license validity shared accountability for regulatory com-
Key licensing requirements for authorized Applications will be processed within 21 pliance, mandatory integration with CITRA
distributors include: business days, with no response interpret- monitoring systems, authority oversight
Holding a valid commercial license (LLC or ed as rejection. Approved applicants must on contracts, and adherence to regulated
joint-stock company) finalize license contracts before commenc- pricing. CITRA aims to foster a competitive,
Having preliminary agreements with li- ing operations. Under the draft, telecom high-quality, and investor-friendly telecom
censed telecom operators providers must work exclusively with CI- sector through this regulatory framework.
Maintaining at least ten operational branch- TRA-licensed distributors, integrate distrib- The Authority encourages industry and
es across Kuwait utor systems into their platforms, conduct public feedback during the consultation pe-
Submitting comprehensive business and regular reporting, and ensure distributors riod before finalizing the rules.
technical proposals meet technical and training standards.
Distributors must avoid subcontracting,
120 JUNE-JULY 2025