EU Lawmakers Urged Not to Revive Settled Issues in Digital Agenda Debate
Don’t use the debate on Europe’s future digital strategy to rehash issues resolved in the overhaul of telecom rules, several EU lawmakers and a European Commission official said Thursday. The European Parliament Industry Committee began considering a draft report by Pilar del Castillo of Spain and the European People’s Party that responds to EC proposals for a digital agenda -- “digital.eu” to 2015. It encourages the EC to speed up resolution of digital content issues, develop EU-wide copyright rules and create an Internet users’ bill of rights.
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Del Castillo said her plan envisions a “virtuous spiral” arrayed around the user and powered by the digital single market. Her policy goals include ensuring high-speed access everywhere, citizens and businesses skilled in the use of information and communication technologies, fast adoption into national law of the new e-communications regulatory system, better research and development, removal of roadblocks to a single, cross-border market, and mainstream use of ICT to cut carbon emissions.
On digital content, the draft criticizes Europe’s “overly complex and nationally based licensing systems” that make it harder for digital businesses to offer compelling new and legal content and stifles development of new media services. The issues are “part of a difficult and urgent debate” that show how badly a “fundamental revision” of the current state of online copyright is needed, it said. The discussion must be accelerated, the draft said.
Content and users’ rights issues proved extremely divisive during negotiations on the telecom package. That was especially true of a ban on cutting off -- without a prior court order except in cases of national security -- the Internet access of those suspected of infringing copyrights. A compromise was eventually reached, but some remain unhappy about the new wording (WID Nov 25 p1).
Although del Castillo didn’t mention the dispute, she and several others said the digital agenda isn’t about reopening or reinterpreting the telecom package. Some might be tempted to offer amendments, but that won’t lead anywhere, she said. Fabio Colasanti, director-general of the EC Information Society Directorate-General, agreed. He said the emphasis should be on closing the gap between what the telecom industry spends on and reaps from construction of new networks.
Committee members generally praised the report, but several said it doesn’t go far enough. “In terms of technology, Europe is nowhere,” said Philippe Lamberts of Belgium and the Greens/European Free Alliance. ICT technology isn’t invented in Europe, global leaders aren’t European, and software applications, which will power the diffusion of culture and e-services, are largely created elsewhere, he said. Lawmakers need a sense of urgency that the draft doesn’t reflect, Lamberts said. Other members suggested that del Castillo take up the possibility of new digital divides as ICT take-up increases, additional work on electronic data certification, producing and attracting skilled ICT workers, and better cybersecurity.
Colasanti said the draft helps explain to the public and politicians why they need to do more with digital technologies and why that means taking action in the many policy areas that ICT crosses. The EC will await the outcome of the discussion in Parliament and the Council of Ministers before completing its digital policy recommendations, he said. Amendments to the report are due Thursday.