Proposal to reduce a series of administrative procedures in the field of science and technology

At the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on the morning of July 16, Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan presented a project to amend and supplement a number of articles of four laws including: Radio Frequency, Telecommunications, Electronic Transactions and Technology Transfer.

Minister Quan said the draft law focuses on reducing and simplifying administrative procedures, creating conditions for business investment and conditional business investment sectors. The draft law abolishes two administrative procedures and business conditions (cut 47, simplify four and amend three).

Specifically for the Law on Radio Frequency, the draft law is amended in the direction of cutting unnecessary conditions for licensing the use of radio frequencies. Modifying and reducing compliance costs for organizations and individuals still ensures effective state management of radio frequencies. The draft also amends regulations on licensing the use of frequency bands in special cases for state-owned enterprises directly serving national defense and security.

Regarding the Telecommunications Law, the draft law amends the conditions for granting telecommunications service business licenses in the direction of abolishing conditions that are no longer necessary in practice and simplifying the composition of licensing documents.

The draft Law on Electronic Transactions abolishes a number of administrative procedures related to trust service business licenses, making it more convenient for businesses and more suitable for management requirements in the digital environment.

Draft Law on Technology Transfer, amended in the direction of assigning the Minister of Science and Technology to decide to approve and promulgate programs and policies on technology import, science and technology market development, and promotion of technology transfer and application of innovation. This decentralization aims to increase proactiveness, shorten work processing time, and ensure consistency with relevant legal regulations.

Representative of the inspection agency, Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Thanh Hai basically approved of the need to promulgate the law. She assessed that the law project dossier has been prepared meticulously, seriously, and has basically all components according to regulations for projects built and promulgated according to shortened order and procedures.

With the Law on Radio Frequency, the verification agency recognizes frequencies as a limited national resource with great economic value, granted directly without auction or competition. Therefore, to ensure prudence, the Committee recommends adding an assessment of implementation practices and clarifying the basis of the new proposal in the draft.

The Committee also endorsed the abolition of conditions and procedures that are no longer appropriate in the fields of radio frequencies, telecommunications, and electronic transactions. However, switching from pre-inspection to post-inspection is only effective when there are adequate alternative management tools. The Committee requested the Government to clarify the post-inspection method corresponding to each group of conditions and procedures to be reduced.

The National Assembly will consider the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Radio Frequency, the Law on Telecommunications, the Law on Electronic Transactions and the Law on Technology Transfer at its meeting in early August.