EU Telecom Review

EU’s Review 2006 of telecom rules risks repeating the mistakes of U.S. telecom reform

The member of the European Commission in charge of telecom, Viviane Reding, admits that these are “times of convergence where we can access music, emails and media content using different terminals and networks and where also the borders between fixed-line and wireless are disappearing.” She has therefore initiated a review of the EU telecom rules — with a focus on opening up more spectrum, regulating less in markets “where competition is already effective” and achieving “competition and investment.” On the positive side, Reding advocates phasing out ex-ante sector-specific regulation — leaving control with competition law and authorities — and reducing the variety of regulatory approaches in recognition that “neither technology nor economic interest nor consumer behavior know national borders anymore.” Read More ›