EU to Focus on Telecom Reform, Illegal Web Content, E-Government

The Czech Presidency said it will try to reach agreement on telecom reform between the Council of Ministers and European Parliament during its six-month tenure. Ministers in November approved compromise language that, while not entirely palatable to the European Commission (EC), European Parliament or key industry players, was said to be a step toward final agreement (CD Dec 1 p8). The EC proposal for price caps on roaming text and data messages may also be finalized during the first half of 2009, the Presidency said.

The rules revamp also leads the EC’s 2009 priority list, a spokeswoman said. Other items include the roaming SMS/data transfer rules proposed in September, recommendations on call termination rates and next generation networks, and “taking concrete steps” to make the most of the digital dividend, she said. The EC also intends to develop a strategy for achieving “broadband for all,” she said.

2009 “will be marked by the second phase” of the ongoing telecom review process and the “key challenge of NGN deployment,” said European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association Director Michael Bartholomew. The current economic crisis makes it more important than ever to accelerate rollout of high-speed broadband networks, he said. As the EU bodies begin talks on the new telecom rules, ETNO “will continue to insist that NGN remain at the top of the debate,” he said.

Achieving a good result on the telecom package is key for the European Competitive Telecommunications Association this year, said Regulatory Affairs Director Ilsa Godlovitch. There’s a “gap to be overcome” between the Council’s desire to keep regulatory decisions at the national level and the EC and Parliament push for more oversight, she said. ECTA wants more attention paid to consistency and harmonization of e- communications rules, she said.

The beginning of 2009 is “a bit of a hangover after the party of last year,” with the same issues to resolve, Godlovitch said. NGN is another of ECTA’s chief concerns, as is ensuring that once telecom ground rules are set they're complied with, she said. ECTA is also closely monitoring developments in Italy and Poland regarding functional separation of incumbent operators, she said.

The government wants to ensure extensive access to electronic government services, the Czech government said. E-health is another priority, and the Presidency wants to boost cooperation between governments on telemedicine and more interoperable information systems in the healthcare sector, it said. It announced an e-health ministerial conference set for February. Forums on safer Internet for children, eradication of cyber-threats, and issues related to legal audiovisual services, piracy and advertising are also planned.

For consumers, the fight against the “so-called ‘graduated response'” to online piracy is one of several main priorities, said Legal Officer Emilie Barrau of the European Consumers’ Organization (BEUC). Others include data roaming, mobile termination rates and privacy, she said. BEUC will also focus on online “territorial discrimination” in the form of “fake” barriers that segment internal markets, preventing consumers from shopping on Web sites in countries outside their own, she said. Examples are buyers who were refused access to iTunes France because they live in the U.K., or prevented from buying services online because they lack a credit card from the “right” country, she said.

With European parliamentary elections and transition to a new EC this year, 2009 should also be the time for “a more in-depth debate on the place of the telecom sector in Europe in addressing the key challenges our society and economy will face” in coming years, Bartholomew said.