DIGITALEUROPE is concerned that a telecoms single market proposal adopted on Thursday by the European Parliament is overly specific about how networks should function.
“The text adopted in today’s Plenary session of the European Parliament goes into far too much technical detail. Policymakers should provide broad and clear guidance on how a well-designed European telecoms single market should function. They should not determine what or how specific technologies should be used to achieve that aim,” said John Higgins, Director General of DIGITALEUROPE.
“We fully support safeguarding the open character of the Internet. However, this text runs the risk of hampering innovation and discouraging much needed network investment, which was the main reason for this regulatory package in the first place,” he added.
An open Internet is a prerequisite for a competitive and dynamic European ICT sector and the source of an extraordinarily wide variety of rich and innovative content and services.
The text adopted by the Parliament risks limiting choice for Internet users as well as stifling future network innovation because it takes a prescriptive position regarding specialised services.
DIGITALEUROPE held a workshop for EU officials today to explain some of the technical aspects to this debate, and in particular the way the proposed legal package deals with specialised services.
“'Specialized services must be defined in a way that does not tie technology down,” Paolo Campoli, Chief Technology Officer at Cisco Systems told the workshop.
He warned that the text adopted today is not technology-neutral and it will quickly become obsolete as innovation drives the technology forward.
DIGITALEUROPE urges member state governments to re-work this legislative proposal, stripping out much of the technical detail and giving a clearer line regarding the broader political debate around net neutrality.
“We have offered constructive advice on how this legislation should be crafted, and we will continue to do so as the debate moves over to the Council of Ministers,” Mr Higgins said.
For more about specialised services please read DIGITALEUROPE’s technical paper, prepared last month.
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For more information please contact Paul Meller, DIGITALEUROPE’s Communications Director on +32 497 322 966 or at paul.meller@digitaleurope.org
About DIGITAL EUROPE
DIGITALEUROPE represents the digital technology industry in Europe. Our members include some of the world's largest IT, telecoms and consumer electronics companies and national associations from every part of Europe. DIGITALEUROPE wants European businesses and citizens to benefit fully from digital technologies and for Europe to grow, attract and sustain the world's best digital technology companies.
DIGITALEUROPE ensures industry participation in the development and implementation of EU policies.
DIGITALEUROPE’s members include 58 global corporations and 35 national trade associations from across Europe - in total, 10,000 companies employing two million people. Visit our website for more information about our recent news and activities: http://www.digitaleurope.org