Arcep’s operations are structured into nine dedicated and cross-functional departments that prepare the dossiers presented to the Board, all coordinated and overseen by Director-General, Cécile DUBARRY.
Directorate-General
The Director-General manages and coordinates the operations performed by the nine departments. The DG is also responsible for establishing the deliberations to be carried out by the Executive Board, either through the plenary body or the body responsible for settling disputes, legal proceedings and investigations. The DG is assisted by deputy directors-general, department heads and appointed advisors.
Preparation of the agendas and summaries of Executive Board sessions, both plenary body and the body responsible for settling disputes, legal proceedings and investigations, is performed under the supervision of the Director-General.
The General Secretariat (GS) ensures that Arcep has the resources it needs to perform its duties.
The General Secretariat is therefore responsible for:
- human resources and labour relations;
- financial and logistical resources;
- knowledge management (documentation, budgetary and administrative management of outside studies);
- the information system;
- internal communications.
Working closely with the other departments, it analyses the estimated requirements for all of these resources, with a view to optimising their use and supporting their development. The General Secretariat is thus responsible for organising Arcep’s cross-departmental processes (e.g. mail and switchboard management) and keeping pace with changes, in accordance with the directions set by the Chair and the Director-General.
"Europe and international" Department (EID)
The "Europe and International" Department (EID) prepares, coordinates and implements Arcep’s international actions. This includes:
- participating in inter-ministerial work on international and European issues that fall under Arcep’s purview;
- European relations, notably with European electronic communications regulatory authorities and the European Regulators Group for Postal Services;
- International relations, notably within the network of French-speaking telecommunications regulators (FRATEL), and with international institutions (ITU, CEPT, OECD…);
- relations with foreign regulators and government ministries.
Legal Affairs Department (LAD)
The Legal Affairs Department (LAD) is responsible for all of the legal aspects of Arcep’s activities. In particular, it ensures the legal certainty of its decisions. It provides assessments, legal advice and operational assistance to the other Arcep departments. Its tasks include:
- processing litigation files;
- keeping the registry of dispute settlement and penalty procedures;
- preparing the legal and regulatory aspects of proposals and opinions formulated by Arcep,
- relations with outside legal advisors,
- contacts with the government’s General Secretariat and the Journal Officiel.
"Economics, Markets and Digital Technology” Department (EMTD)
The "Economics, Markets and Digital Technology” Department (EMTD) is in charge of the economic, statistical and price-related aspects of Arcep’s actions. To this end, it ensures:
- monitoring of markets and businesses in the areas that fall under Arcep’s purview, the performance and surveys and production of consumer reports, and the formulation of messages for the financial community;
- treatment of cross-disciplinary economic dossiers (notably regulatory accounting obligations), the development of business models in tandem with the other competent departments, and providing support to these departments on economic standards, methods and instruments;
- coordination of Arcep’s “geographic information system” process;
- supervision of the outside study programme,
- moderation of forward-looking discussions and the treatment of digital technology and audiovisual media issues.
"Mobile and Innovation" Department (MID)
The "Mobile and innovation" Department (MID) is responsible for managing the radio spectrum, regulating mobile market competition and relations with the innovation ecosystem. In this capacity, its duties include:
- planning and managing the frequencies allocated to the use of radiocommunications, relations with France’s frequency agency (ANFr) and other bodies responsible for allocating spectrum, and awarding frequency licences;
- defining allocation terms and conditions and issuing invitations to tender for frequency allocations;
- monitoring and enforcing the obligations attached to frequency licences, notably with respect to coverage and quality of service;
- delivering analyses of the corresponding market, implementing and enforcing resulting obligations;
- coordinating relations with the innovation ecosystem.
"Fibre, Infrastructure and Territories" Department (FITD)
The "Fibre, Infrastructure and Territories" (DIT) department’s primary responsibility is fixed broadband and superfast broadband market regulation, which includes the solutions used by network operators and the wholesale products used to provide broadband/superfast broadband services in the retail market. To this end, it analyses the markets in question and implements and monitors market stakeholders’ resulting obligations.
The "Fibre, Infrastructure and Territories" department is also responsible for preparing the so-called “symmetric” regulatory framework that governs optical fibre network establishment and access, and for monitoring operators’ compliance with those regulations. It contributes in particular to defining and monitoring enforcement of the rules for sharing these networks, for the benefit of consumers (price, quality of service).
Second, it ensures Arcep’s relationships with the local authorities whose actions it monitors, notably in the area of regional development. It also hosts the group that serves as the liaison between the Authority, local authorities and operators.
“Internet, Data, Press, Postal Affairs and Users” Department (DIU)
The “Internet, Data, Press, Postal Affairs and Users” (DIU) Department is responsible for ensuring that the internet and interconnections (voice, data) between operators run smoothly.
It monitors operators’ compliance with the rules governing access to an open internet.
It coordinates and leads Arcep’s deliberations on keeping end users informed and on data-driven regulation. It maintains the Authority’s relationship with end users, notably by chairing consumer committees.
It is responsible for implementing electronic communications operators’ general authorisation scheme, and for monitoring compliance with the associated obligations. It drafts the Authority’s network security and integrity action plan. It establishes and manages the numbering plan and monitors compliance with the resulting obligations.
It is also tasked with regulating postal activities, with respect to:
- monitoring the provision universal services, notably their quality and pricing. If required, it determines the compensation amounts due to the universal service fund;
- issuing authorisations to operators, market supervision and, when required, handling user complaints.
It is in charge of regulating press distribution, notably with respect to the accreditation of press distribution companies, press title assortment, territorial press distribution policy frameworks, the rules governing press distributors’ footprint and the analysis, in concert with the Arcep’s Economics, Markets and Digital Affairs Department (DEN), of the services provided by grouped press distribution companies.
It is in charge of regulating data intermediation service providers and the interoperability of cloud computing services.
Lastly, it participates in European and international working groups devoted to these matters.
"Communication and Partnerships" Department (CPD)
The "Communication and Partnerships" Department (CPD) prepares, coordinates and implements the Authority’s communications and external relations. In this capacity, its duties within Arcep include:
- designing the communication plan,
- media relations,
- producing communication tools and updating them (website, annual report, newsletter…),
- organising the main outside events,
- maintaining an ongoing dialogue with the ecosystem, working in tandem with the other departments,
- coordinating relations with financial analysts in collaboration with the EMTD,
- providing all of the other departments with support for their communication actions.
Cross-disciplinary project groups
Cross-disciplinary project groups are created on a regular basis to combine different departments’ expertise on certain topics. Engineers, lawyers, economists, communications specialists… all work together, and with outside stakeholders, particularly on forward-looking issues. Examples include opening the internet to every device, the Internet of Things, data-driven regulation and the creation of the “Olaf project (for “Organisation libérée pour l’Arcep du futur”: A liberated organisation for the Arcep of tomorrow) devoted to implementing a new, more agile way of working.
A liberated governmental organisation
Arcep undertook a major shift when putting its strategic review into action, drawing inspiration in particular from the philosophy of “liberated governmental organisations”. By redeploying its strengths into new regulatory mandates, with the same number of staff, and by “reinventing” itself, Arcep changed both its work culture and its organisation. Its teams then began a collaborative internal process of investigation, baptised “OLAF” (for “Organisation libérée pour l’Arcep du futur”: A liberated organisation for the Arcep of tomorrow). The goal: to examine current operating methods and ways of working, and the ability to adapt to today’s challenges.
Following a series of proposals from the teams, the first concrete actions were taken in the areas of telecommuting, skills and knowledge management and strengthening the culture of trust: incorporating open management in managerial structures, open organisation in the meetings with outside experts during “Pimp my IAA” (Independent Administrative Authority) workshops.
Arcep’s move in November 2018 marks a new milestone in the process of becoming a “liberated governmental organisation” through the adoption of new, more open and collaborative work spaces.
Now housed in the Crystal building at 14 rue Gerty Archimède in Paris’s 12th arrondissement, Arcep is one of the country’s first liberated government organisation, and a pioneer in the design of its workspaces. Open plan offices, informal meeting spaces, lounges, quiet rooms, phone booths and relaxation spaces… these new premises mark an exciting new stage in Arcep’s strategic shift. On the menu: serendipity, the end of “island” working mentalities and the State-as-a-platform.
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