As of November 5, the date of signing the document by Premier Zhu Rongji, individuals who violate the rules may face financial penalties up to 10,000 yuan, and units or institutions, up to 100, 000 yuan. Serious offenders shall hold the criminal liability and will be dealt with according to law.

While prohibiting any infringement on the property rights of these facilities, the regulation also outlaws a list of activities that are detrimental to these facilities, such as destroying equipment, building taller buildings closer to the facilities, tying animals to the cables, and burning grass nearby.

Those who build these facilities are also told to follow state law and regulations to prevent strong electromagnetic waves from harming nearby residents.

The new regulation, comprised of four chapters and 27 articles, is issued to replace its predecessor, which was published by the State Council on April 24, 1987.

(Xinhua 11/13/2000)