The Committees votes are just a first step; now, the reports adopted by ITRE and IMCO, will be voted at the EP’s plenary session scheduled for September 3rd, 2008 (1st reading). The texts concerned were the followings:

• ECNS I (on the Framework, Access and Authorisation Directives) / ITRE
  
• ECNS II (on the Universal Services and Users’ rights, Personal Data and Protection of Privacy,  and Consumer Protection Directives) / IMCO
  
• Proposal for a Regulation establishing  the European Electronic Communications Market Authority (EECMA) / ITRE

The outcome of the vote affected in different ways the European Commission’s (EC) original proposals to modify the current Telecom Package. On one side, EECMA, the super regulator proposed by the EC, was widely rejected by MEPs, who instead supported the alternative prepared by MEP Pilar del Castillo (European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats - EPP-ED, Spain), the Body of European Regulators in Telecoms (BERT), which will gather National Regulators Authorities (NRAs), replacing and improving the European Regulators Group (ERG). On the other side, the functional separation remedy, also within the EC’s legislative proposals, was accepted by MEPs as an “exceptional measure” available to NRAs in cases of persistent competition bottlenecks. Functional separation could divide dominant operators’ networks and services business into separate units, allowing the use of incumbent’s infrastructures by new entrants and thus boosting competition.

The EC also was pushing for a more liberalised use of spectrum, and EECMA was supposed to perform the licensing. However, the new BERT will not take over this responsibility and Member States (MS) will retain their power in the allocation of frequencies.

Regarding consumers’ rights, the measures tabled by the EC were less controversial and common ground was met. The vote showed MEPs were in favour of better transparency on prices, to provide better information on contracts and illegal downloads, enhanced ease of number portability and improved access to electronic communication for disabled users. In this area, the only proposal watered down concerned consumers warnings (occurring when their private data are compromised). 

Next steps:
- Vote in Plenary: 3rd September, 2008

To access the EC official press release, please click here
To access the EP official press release, please click ECNS I and / or ECNS II