Up to 12,500 KRW Monthly Communication Fee Discount per Household Member in Heavy Rain Damage Areas

13 Special Disaster Areas Including Sejong, Nonsan, Cheongju, Iksan, and Yecheon Receive Communication Fee Reductions

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On the 23rd, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it will implement support measures in the fields of information and communication, broadcasting, and radio waves to assist residents affected by heavy rain in 13 regions nationwide, including Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, and Yecheon-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, to stabilize their livelihoods.

First, for the special disaster areas, discounts on communication service fees such as mobile phones, landline phones, internet phones, and high-speed internet, as well as paid broadcasting services such as IPTV, cable TV, and satellite broadcasting, will be promoted. Previously, the government declared 13 places including Sejong, Nonsan, Cheongju, Iksan, and Yecheon as special disaster areas.

For communication service fees, households affected in the special disaster areas rated from 1 to 90 will receive a discount of up to 12,500 KRW per mobile phone line once per household, 100% off monthly usage fees for local and internet phone services, and 50% off monthly usage fees for high-speed internet for one month.

If users request service termination due to long-term inability to use communication services caused by damage such as the destruction of residential facilities from heavy rain, termination will be allowed without penalty fees.

Regarding paid broadcasting service fees, a 50% discount on one month’s basic fee will be applied through consultations with paid broadcasting companies within the special disaster areas.

The fee discount procedure will be carried out by the communication and paid broadcasting service providers collectively applying the discount once the affected residents report to the relevant local government (city, county, or district).

Additionally, radio wave usage fees for wireless stations established in the special disaster areas will be fully waived for six months during the recovery period (July 1 to December 31).

The number of wireless station facility operators eligible for the radio wave usage fee waiver is 1,716, and the total expected amount of the waiver is approximately 135.7 million KRW. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to send notices early next month informing that the third and fourth quarter bills of 2023 will be fully waived, and eligible recipients can receive the benefits without a separate application.

Inquiries about the radio wave usage fee waiver can be made to the ‘Radio Wave Use CS Center’ and the 10 regional radio management offices nationwide.

Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT stated, "We will do our best to ensure that support from the Ministry of Science and ICT can be provided promptly to the residents affected by this heavy rain."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.