WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1597/97 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Information society
Date: 1997-05-06
Institutions: AMADEO, European Parliament
Subjects: audiovisual industry, competition, consumer protection, data protection, data transmission, liberalisation of the market, protection of privacy, telecommunications













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91997E1597

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1597/97 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Information society  


Official Journal C 391 , 23/12/1997 P. 0106 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1597/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (6 May 1997)Subject: Information societyThe Commission communications to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions entitled 'The Information Society from Corfu to Dublin - The new emerging priorities' and 'The implications of the Information Society for European Union Policies - Preparing the next steps' (COM(96)0395 and CES 1401/96) take the view that an answer has to be found as soon as possible to the anxieties about the system of regulation required for full liberalization of telecommunications and focus in particular on the problems posed by convergence of telecommunications and the audio-visual sector, the security of data transmission, and protection of privacy.Will the Commission, as a matter of priority, seek to expand and finance the universal service and extend it to cover information society networks?Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (10 June 1997)The Commission has already indicated in its reply to the Honourable Member's earlier questions (E-0159/97 and E-0160/97) ((OJ C 186, 18.6.1997. )) that 'universal service is a key element in the steps taken by both the Community and by the Member States to open the markets in the European Union to full and effective competition. The measures taken at a European level seek to ensure that there is a common concept of universal service throughout the Community which guarantees users a defined level of service at an affordable price, as well as rules concerning how that service can be financed in a competitive environment'.The Commission agrees with the linkage between a defined concept of universal service within the Community and the broader take up of information society services, in that affordable access to a defined level of service is a pre-requisite to the wider take up of on-line services, such as the Internet. In this context, the Commission recognised in its communication of March 1996 ((Communication of 13 March 1996 on Universal Service for telecommunications in the perspective of a fully liberalised environment. COM(96) 73. )) that universal service is a dynamic and evolving concept. It is committed to reviewing at regular intervals, and for the first time before the end of the year, the scope, level, affordability and quality of universal service within the Community, in particular in order to assess the need, if any, for the further development of the concept.Pending the results of that assessment, the Commission believes that universal service is presently adequately defined. Any evolution must balance the need to ensure that citizens are not excluded from full participation in society and, on the other hand, that the costs associated with the provision of universal service do not deter competition, so as to prevent users from benefiting from lower prices, more choice and better quality services, which competition is already delivering.