Rules for New EU Telecom Networks a Political Football?
The European Commission unveiled a long-awaited draft recommendation Friday for how to create new fiber-optic-based telecommunication networks throughout Europe, but the move was heavily criticized from both sides in the debate over next-generation networks. In an unusually stern rebuke, a trade group representing companies trying to compete with the former telephone monopolies accused the Commission of “condoning collusion” between the incumbent national operators and one smaller rival of their choice. One part of the draft recommendation states that if an incumbent operator joins forces with one other company to lay down fiber-optic cables, the obligations to ensure fair access at reasonable prices is lifted. According to the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), which represents smaller rivals of former incumbents, this amounts to a regulatory holiday for the incumbents. “We are surprised and disappointed that the European Commission, which is meant to be the g
