October 20, 2026
Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Communications Committee, MP Yassin Yassin, confirmed that the Audit Bureau’s report on illegal Internet networks reveals huge financial waste and legal responsibilities that require immediate follow-up and accountability, estimating the losses incurred by the public treasury at approximately $128 million annually.
In a statement to the “Lebanon Debate” website, Yassin explained that he had made contact with the committee’s office, stressing that the Ministries of Communications and Finance were given a 15-day period to take action, given the issue’s connection to public funds, and denouncing what he described as the failure of successive governments to implement regulatory decrees, specifically Decree Nos. 3260 and 9458 and their amendments, in addition to the relevant implementing decrees.
He announced that the Communications Committee would send an official invitation to the two relevant ministries to take urgent action, asking about the mechanisms to stop waste and the parties that will bear responsibility for the huge losses. He pointed out that the parties involved in the sector range from six official information transmission companies, Internet service providers, and distribution companies, all the way to illegal local distribution networks known as “neighborhood roosters.”
The representative pointed out that the regulatory decrees classify illegal networks into three categories, which requires the strict application of the law to address their conditions and integrate them into the legitimate system in order to preserve the state’s rights. He considered that reforming this file must precede any new initiatives, and overlooked the feasibility of establishing a national telecommunications company such as “Libon Telecom” in light of the presence of more than a million subscribers outside the law and the continued waste, in addition to the necessity of activating the fiber-optic networks extended in Beirut and other regions for the benefit of the state.
In a related context, Yassin stressed that the Communications Committee continues to hold the relevant ministers, current and former, accountable, stressing that the file will not be left without follow-up. He criticized the trend towards assigning the management of “Touch” and “Alfa” companies in parallel with the “Libon Telecom” project, considering that this raises legal problems that violate Article 44 (paragraphs 4 and 5) of Law No. 431, and stressing the necessity of precisely defining the objectives of the new company and the nature of its work before evaluating or purchasing assets.
Yassin likened the reality of the illegal Internet to the state of chaos in the electric generators sector, stressing that the communications sector is characterized by the presence of clear decrees prepared by the Ministry of Communications itself and approved by the Council of Ministers, which makes the failure to implement them surprising and requires specifying responsibilities.
Yassin concluded by emphasizing that the Audit Bureau report pointed to the responsibility of four ministers, stressing the need to move from the stage of diagnosing the problem to strict application of the laws, stopping financial waste, restoring the rights of the public treasury, and holding all those involved accountable.
