The government will consolidate the application channel for compensation for shared electricity bills used by internet splitters installed in multi-unit housing such as apartments and villas. It will speed up a full survey and compensation so residents can be reimbursed for electricity costs they have paid instead of telecoms operators.

The Ministry of Science and ICT will operate a shared electricity bill compensation application management system for internet equipment in multi-unit housing from June 15 with the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA) and the Korea Cable TV Broadcasting Association (KCTA).

Internet splitters are devices installed in shared terminal boxes or central communications rooms to send internet signals to each household. In principle, telecoms operators should pay the shared electricity costs used by such equipment, but in some multi-unit housing the costs have been charged through residents' maintenance fees.

In November last year, MSIT formed a task force with KTOA and KCTA that includes 4 telecoms operators: KT, SK Broadband, LG Uplus and LG HelloVision. After a pilot survey, it drew up in January a plan for a full survey and compensation on the use of shared electricity by internet equipment in multi-unit housing. It also said 4 comprehensive cable broadcasting operators, including Jeju Broadcasting, Seogyeong Broadcasting, Nam Incheon Broadcasting and Ulsan Jungang Broadcasting, took part. The full survey will cover about 144,000 pieces of internet equipment installed in 110,000 buildings.

Until now, multi-unit housing management entities had to contact each operator's call centre separately and apply for compensation. Going forward, the compensation application management system will integrate management of applications and processing status. Shared electricity management entities such as building owners, administrators and outsourced management firms can check the internet equipment installed in shared terminal boxes or central communications rooms and then register their information and building details in the system along with photos of equipment by operator.

The system will be used for compensation applications for shared electricity bills, compensation and contract management by operator, management of management-entity information, management of on-site survey history, and management of newly installed equipment. MSIT plans to use the system to continuously manage the operating status of internet equipment in multi-unit housing and prevent a recurrence of cases in which electricity costs are passed on to residents.

MSIT will also operate a dedicated centre. The centre will provide guidance on eligibility for compensation and application procedures, and support applications by multi-unit housing management entities that are not familiar with using the internet. MSIT will work with local governments to expand regional promotion and continue the nationwide full survey. It will check the status of surveys and compensation each month through the task force.

Choi Woo-hyuk (최우혁), director general for Information Security and Network Policy at MSIT, said the dedicated centre and the compensation application management system would help speed up compensation for shared electricity bills. He said the ministry would manage the process systematically to prevent residents from again bearing shared electricity bills for internet equipment.