LETTER TO THE MEMBER STATES

Brussels, 10 October 2017            

 
Dear Prime Minister,

Dear Minister for Electronic Communications,

Dear Permanent Representative,

Why competition must not be traded off for investment:  
A plea for the future of electronic communications

Just a decade ago, digital mobility and Internet broadband access were far from being as widespread as they are today. And usage was even more limited. Indeed, it was around that time that talk of fibre-based networks first gained currency at EU level, in the context of the first review of the EU regulatory framework for electronic communications.

Brussels, 3 October 2017. Last night, the Industry and Research and Energy Committee (ITRE) of the European Parliament voted on its long-debated report on the proposal for a European Electronic Communications Code.

ECTA commends the improvements that the Committee has brought to the Commission text in the access and co-investment part of the report and welcomes the overall pro-competitive compromise reached between the different political groups.

Brussels, 26 September 2017. With the Access part of the consolidated Presidency text scheduled for final discussion in a Working Party on the 27^th of September, the negotiations on the European Electronic Communications Code are coming to an end in the Council. That cannot mean that competition finds its end as well.

In fact, ECTA believes that parts of the current Council proposal fail to preserve existing and future competition and hence harm investment incentives and innovation to the detriment of end users.

ECTA is most concerned about the weakening of the market analysis and significant market power part of the Code, through choices made on regulatory treatment of new network elements in Article 74 and on the obligations of price control and cost accounting obligations in Article 72.

Frankfurt, 15 September 2017 – As the global race for connected and automated driving gains pace, the European Automotive Telecom Alliance (EATA) met today with the European Commission at the Frankfurt Motor Show to announce the latest developments. Representatives from EATA presented the status of the dialogue between the car and telecoms industries with Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner for Budget, and with the newly-appointed European Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel.

ECTA today reiterates that it supports the European Commission’s proposal to insert an objective of access to, and take-up of, very high capacity data connectivity in the draft European Electronic Communications Code, alongside the established policy objectives, and particularly the promotion of competition. At the same time, ECTA stresses that it also shares several of the concerns expressed by BEREC, the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications, in a set of position papers on the draft Code (available here).

Brussels, 22 March 2017: Today, the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) discussed the draft report of MEP Pilar Del Castillo Vera (European People’s Party), on the Proposal for a Directive establishing the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC).

ECTA has identified positive elements, such as:

1. The removal of a mandatory three-year deployment forecast for network operators, which would have created a huge administrative burden in particular for smaller operators ⁱ;
2. A proposed new right for network operators to access physical infrastructure controlled by public authorities (public buildings, street furniture, such as light poles, street signs, traffic lights, billboards, bus, tramway stops, metro stations)ⁱⁱ .
   

Mobile World Congress, Barcelona
27 February 2017

The European Automotive Telecom Alliance (EATA) today presented the next steps to make connected and automated driving a reality. During a roundtable discussion chaired by European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip and in the presence of Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger, the telecoms and automotive industries reported the latest technology developments and the corresponding societal and economic benefits for European citizens.

Brussels, 6 February 2017: MÁSMÓVIL Group, the fourth telecoms operator with a convergent service offering in the Spanish Telecom market, and Colt Technology Services which provides world class high bandwidth connectivity services to global businesses of all sizes across Europe, Asia and North America have become Full members of ECTA.

ECTA Regulatory Conference 2016: Shaping the EU Digital Landscape

Brussels, 9 November 2016: With the recent launch of the European Commission's legislative proposals for the review of the EU regulatory framework for electronic communications, this year's ECTA Regulatory Conference is a timely opportunity to discuss a wide range of policy issues with a view to better understanding how we can shape the EU digital landscape.

• 1&1 provides free calls and SMS to Ukraine

Read more here  and here