The European Parliament today voted to acceptnew regulationsto shape the
development of the communications sector for the foreseeable
future.
According to the European Parliament, the "telecoms package"
seeks to:
- Strengthen consumer rights and privacy protection
- Boost investment in new high-speed communications
infrastructure
- Ensure regulatory consistency across the EU through a central
regulatory authority
- Free parts of the 900MHz radio spectrum for reuse in land-based
wireless broadband
- Force network operators to separate infrastructure from
services
The measures affect all electronic communications including
mobile and fixed telephones, broadcasting, wireless and fixed
internet. It follows a two-year negotiation between the European
Parliament, the European Commission and the 27 member states.
The package allows access providers the right to "shape" traffic
provided they warn consumers that they do it, and give an
indication of what type of traffic may be restricted or
blocked.
However, critics charge that the plans give too much power to
network operators and internet service providers and too little
protection to consumer rights.
They believe that traffic shaping will slow or reduce investment
in new faster networks because it encourages network operators to
optimise the efficiency of their networks rather than the users'
online experience.
A key driver for the new regulations has been the impending
switchover of the television broadcast sector from analogue to
digital operation, which has freed radio frequencies for reuse.
This has coincided with a similar shift in telephony and the
subsequent rise in popularity of the internet and mobile
telephony.