The coauthor of new ‘Big-Brother’ legislation promises revisions, if Russians' phone bills spike

Viktor Ozerov, a Russian senator and the co-author of controversial new legislation, says the draft laws now headed to President Putin's desk for final approval could be amended, if Russian telecoms can demonstrate that the new requirements would necessitate significant hikes in Russians' phone bills. Ozerov promises that the Federation Council will reassess the laws and make any necessary changes to prevent a dramatic rise in the costs of telecoms services.

• For more on this, see: The Duma’s new ‘Big-Brother’ legislation kills Russia’s Internet companies and hurts ordinary Web users. Here’s how.