Broadband for all? Universal service and “Europe 2020″

Posted on March 3, 2010 | Filed Under public services 

Yesterday, the European Commission started a consultation on universal service, focusing - without too much enthusiasm - on the question of whether or not to include broadband in the scope of universal service obligations in telecommunications. And today the Commission presented its proposal for the Europe 2020 Strategy, including the digital agenda as one of its seven “flagship initiatives”; in the press release this is summed up like this:

“A digital agenda for Europe - delivering sustainable economic and social benefits from a Digital Single Market based on ultra fast internet. All Europeans should have access to high speed internet by 2013.”

In the full proposal this is broken down into the following targets:

  • broadband access for all by 2013,
  • access for all to much higher internet speeds (30 Mbps or above) by 2020, and
  • 50% or more of European households subscribing to internet connections above 100 Mbps.

How this will be achieved is not spelled out in great detail, but in rather general and well rehearsed terms (e.g.: stable legal framework, efficient spectrum policy, borderless and safe EU web services and digital content markets, balanced regulatory framework with clear rights regimes, fostering of multi-territorial licences, actions in support of digital literacy and accessibility, etc.). But then it is only a broad strategy, to be endorsed in principle (”overall approach and EU headline targets”) by the European Council on 25/26 March 2010, and then needs to be broken down into more detailed targets and actions.

As for the universal service consultation, I found it interesting that the Commission obviously saw the need to hit back at the European Parliament: in the consultation document the Commission (which has not been very keen on addressing universal serive at all, much less on reforming it, see for instance this post) first recounts that it had wanted to keep the issue of universal service outside the scope of the recent “review”, but …

“This notwithstanding, the co-legislator deemed it necessary, in the light of developments, to address one particular aspect of regulatory flexibility by amending the current recital in the Directive dealing with functional internet access. In particular, the new recital seeks to allow Member States to define nationally the minimum data rates of the connection ‘which are sufficient to permit functional internet access […] taking due account of specific circumstances in national markets, for instance the prevailing bandwidth used by the majority of subscribers in that Member State, and technological feasibility, provided that these measures seek to minimize market distortion.’ However, this amendment sets out a new principle only in a recital of the Amending Directive without corresponding changes in the body of the legislative text, which gives rise to questions of interpretation and which might affect legal certainty.” (emphasis added)

And while the Commission may be right in terms of the legal issues involved, the wording does not seem particularly polite or respectful towards the European Parliament. I am quite sure this will not go unnoticed by the relevant MEPs.

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One Response to “Broadband for all? Universal service and “Europe 2020″”

  1. “Let us consult upon to-morrow’s business”*: consultation on radio spectrum policy programme : contentandcarrier on March 4th, 2010 4:17 pm

    […] Broadband for all? Universal service and “Europe 2020″ […]

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