European Commission Directorate General on Information Society and Media has launched a public consultation on future universal service principles in the area of electronic communications networks and services. Contributions should be sent by 7 May 2010 at the latest using the online form and questionnaire. The Commission will report on the results in a Communication, which it may follow with legislative proposals before the end of 2010, if necessary.
A public workshop on this matter will be also held in Brussels on 30 March 2010.
The Commission is looking into whether it is necessary to update the rules designed 10 years ago, which guarantee that people living in rural and remote areas or on a low income have affordable access to phones and the internet. The current rules guarantee that EU citizens can connect to the public network and use public phone services to make phone calls, send faxes or have internet access. They also ensure that directory enquiry services and directories, public payphones and special help for the disabled are available.
The Commission is seeking views on the following key areas:
- Basic concept of universal service : The current concept of universal service was designed for traditional voice-based telecoms services, but is this approach still valid in today's dynamic digital environment? Which policies should we use to ensure that consumers in remote and rural areas or those on a low income can access and use basic telecoms services?
- Broadband: Wide broadband coverage is crucial to foster growth and jobs in Europe. But 23% of people in rural areas do not have access to fixed broadband networks. Should universal service principles help to reach the EU's goal of 'broadband for all', or would competition on the open telecoms market or other policy options be more effective?
- National flexibility and a coordinated EU approach : The state of development of telecoms markets, availability of broadband, take-up by consumers, and government responses to the so-called 'digital divide' (i.e. te gap between those sections of the population that have access to internet and other digital technologies and those that do not) can vary considerably from country to country. What is the right balance between a coordinated EU-wide response and the need for national flexibility?
- Financing: How should universal service be financed in the future? Should there be a financial contribution from the telecoms sector to ensure universal broadband coverage, or should the public purse intervene since other sectors of the economy and society as a whole also feel the benefits?
Background
This consultation is part of the European Commission's follow-up to its Declaration on universal service to the European Parliament in the context of the negotiation of the 'Telecom Package' in 2009 and the second periodic review of the scope of universal service in 2008 (COM(2008) 572).
All details about the public consultation as well as the public debate are available on the European Commission's website.