Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the Communication on Barriers to widespread access to new services and applications of the information society through open platforms in digital television and third generation mobile communications
Date: 2004-04-21
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: broadcasting, digital technology, systems interconnection, technological change, telecommunications, telecommunications policy

30.4.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 121/7

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on

— the ‘Communication on Barriers to widespread access to new services and applications of the
information society through open platforms in digital television and third generation mobile
communications’ and the

— ‘Communication on the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting: (from digital “switch-

over” to analogue “switch-off”)’

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

(2004/C 121/02)

Having regard to the European Commission Communications on barriers to widespread access to new
services and applications of the information society through open platforms in digital television and third
generation mobile communications (COM(2003) 410 final) and on the transition from analogue to digital
broadcasting (from digital ‘switchover’ to analogue ‘switch-off’) (COM(2003) 541 final);

Having regard to the decision of the European Commission of 9 July 2003 to consult it on this subject,
under the first paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

Having regard to the decision of its President of 19 June 2003 to instruct its Commission for Culture and
Education to draw up an Opinion on this subject;

Having regard to the conclusions of the Barcelona European Council of March 2002;

Having regard to the conclusions of the Seville European Council of June 2002;

Having regard to its own opinion on The eEurope Benchmarking report and on eEurope 2005: An infor-
mation society for all (CdR 136/2002 fin) (1);

Having regard to its own opinion on the Adoption of a multi-annual programme (2004-2006) for the
effective integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education and training
systems in Europe (eLearning Programme) (CdR 73/2003 fin) (2);

Having regard to its own opinion on the Follow-up to the multiannual Community action plan on
promoting safer use of the Internet by combating illegal and harmful content on global networks (CdR
140/2002 fin) (3);

Having regard to its own opinion on the Proposal for a Council Decision adopting a multi-annual
programme (2003-2005) for monitoring of eEurope, dissemination of good practices and the improvement
of network and information security (MODINIS) (CdR 252/02 fin) (4);

Having regard to its own opinion on eEurope 2002: Accessibility of Public Web Sites and their Content
(CdR 397/2001 fin) (5);

Having regard to its draft opinion (CdR 308/2003 rev. 2) adopted on 19 February 2004 by its Commission
for Culture and Education (rapporteur: Luigi Sergio Ricca, Mayor of Bollengo, IT/PES);

(1) OJ C 128 of 29.5.2003, p. 14.
(2) OJ C 244 of 10.10.2003, p. 42.
(3) OJ C 73 of 26.3.2003, p. 34.
(4) OJ C 128 of 29.5.2003, p. 19.
(5) OJ C 278 of 14.11.2002, p. 24.

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WHEREAS:

1)

2)

3)

The Barcelona European Council of March 2002 acknowledged that digital television and third-
generation (3G) mobile communications will play a key role in providing widespread access to inter-
active services, and called upon the Member States to foster the use of open platforms to provide
freedom of choice to citizens for access to applications and services of the information society. It
also invited the Commission to present an analysis of the remaining barriers to the achievement of
widespread access to such services and applications;

The Seville European Council of June 2002, in adopting the eEurope 2005 Action Plan, acknow
ledged that in order to achieve the Lisbon objective of making the Union the most competitive
knowledge-based economy in the world, it was important for the information society to be acces-
sible to all;

It is important in the coming years to make possible general access for all citizens,
including
disabled people and those with other special needs, to new services and applications of the informa-
tion society;

adopted the following opinion at its 54th plenary session, held on 21-22 April 2004 (meeting of 21
April):

1. The Committee of the Regions' views

digital data, making the use of network capacity much more
effective in comparison with analogue signals;

The Committee of the Regions

1.1
expresses its appreciation of the initiative on the part of
the Commission, which has accepted the suggestions put to it
that it should examine, and report on, the obstacles which still
stand in the way of widespread access to information society
services through open platforms in 3G mobile communications
and digital
it also appreciates the broad public
consultation carried out on the subject;

television;

1.2
agrees with a vision of the future which sketches out ‘an
information society for all’ in which sooner or later everyone
will routinely access and make full use of electronic services;

1.3
endorses the Commission's choice to concentrate its
Communication on the service transmission platforms, i.e. the
means of distribution for services, rather than dwelling on the
variety of the services themselves;

1.4
agrees that communication infrastructures are charac-
terised nowadays by a series of ‘islands of connectivity’ which
have little communication between them, that there is a trend
towards growing interoperability between these ‘islands’, and
that the technological element is important in this develop-
ment:
existing networks contributes
substantially to their potential interoperability;

the digitalisation of

1.5
acknowledges the fact that the trend towards interoper-
ability is determined partly by the market (users wish to have
access to services offered by various providers on various types
of equipment in different places and situations), partly by regu-
latory developments (there is a tendency to create a context of
parity which is neutral
in terms of technology and provides
incentives for a multi-platform competitive environment);

1.7
draws attention to the fact that personal computers are
now the most widespread means of accessing information
television sets and mobile
society services and that digital
phones come in second place well behind PCs, while devices
which fit into several categories are starting to appear;

points out that television and sound broadcasting are
1.8
not at present
terms of Directive
89/552/EEC, as information society services because they are
not provided on individual request, and that digital television
does not necessarily mean interactive television;

regarded, under

the

points out

1.9
is
that migration to digital
therefore a complex process, with socio-economic implications
which go far beyond mere technical migration. If one considers
the role of radio and television in modern society, the change
has not just economic, but also political and social significance;

(‘switchover’)

1.10
supports the Commission's choice of concentrating its
attention on the development of interoperability and, in that
context, of focusing on ‘open platforms’, associating them with
greater freedom of choice for citizens in terms of the applica-
tions and services of the information society;

1.11
takes note of the development of mobile telecommuni-
cations from the simple provision of voice telephony services
plus SMS to the provision of mobile data and multi-media
services. However, there are a number of obstacles to third
generation (3G) mobile communications which can be summed
up as follows:

a) high costs of setting up infrastructure;

b) considerable ongoing technical problems;

c) lack of reliable services;

1.6
agrees on the advantages offered by the migration to
digital, with the possibility of compiling and compressing

d) lack of ‘demand’ for 3G services;

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1.12
further notes that the overall picture emerging from
examination of the subject is particularly complex and inter-
linked, and that no analysis can be regarded as definitive. It
therefore appreciates an approach which tends to favour
competition conditions based on technological neutrality, and
which also takes account of other factors - apart from the
‘openness’ of 3G and digital TV platforms - that concern more
particularly consumers among the barriers impeding access to
information society services.

2. The Committee of the Regions' recommendations

The Committee of the Regions

2.1
recommends that, in supporting more widespread access
to new services and applications of the information society and
assisting the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting
to analogue ‘switch-off’), priority
(from digital
should be given above all to the interests of citizens/consumers,
so as to avoid a socially retrograde impact: given the role of
radio and television in modern society, the consequences are
not solely economic but also social and political;

‘switchover’

2.2
regards it as an essential objective that the European
information society should develop fairly in social, cultural,
linguistic and regional terms, and that all citizens should be
guaranteed the opportunity to benefit from it, so as to avoid
new forms of exclusion;

2.3

calls therefore for attention to be given to ensuring that:

a) migration to digital does not mean that many families are
simply deprived of broadcasting services (at present, digital
television is broadcast mainly by satellite on a paying basis).
Switch-off should occur only when a very tiny number of
analogue television receivers remain in use;

b) services are developed which are useful and attractive to

consumers;

c) a secure environment is created which inspires consumers'
confidence in the use of interactive services, particularly as
regards private life and safeguarding consumers' personal
data, e.g. credit card data;

d) an environment of regulatory clarity is created for the new

electronic services;

e) access is provided for disabled people and those with other

special needs;

f) investment

in digital communication infrastructures

is
speeded up so that society can benefit from the process
sooner, all the while ensuring the same degree of access at
all territorial levels without creating imbalances or excessive
costs for citizens;

2.4
recommends that any specific measures at national or
European level which prove to be necessary to provide financial

support for the migration from analogue to digital must first
and foremost:

a) guarantee pluralism of information, in view of the socio-
the content of radio and television

impact of

political
programmes;

b) ensure that the process of change is led by the supply of
services, rather than constituting a mere change of infra-
structure with no added value which can be perceived by
the citizen. Public authorities must encourage the provision
of added-value content on television networks, at the same
time guaranteeing the broadcasting of public information;

c) support the important role which the regions and local
authorities can play as providers of information but also
and above all as providers of on-line services, as well as
users of information and communication technologies in
the fields of education, vocational training, health, promo-
tion of cultural or tourist content and developing interoper-
ability among public administrations;

d) be designed to support the spread of infrastructures for
easier access
the territory,
including the peripheral areas, so as to reduce the gap
between the latter and areas with a high concentration of
digital services;

to the services

throughout

e) contribute to the availability of low-cost receivers, so that
migration to digital does not involve higher costs for the
consumer;

f) ensure that all public authorities in Europe, at all

levels,
make a commitment to providing an on-line service for the
general public, thereby creating a model and referent for the
promotion of new digital
spread
throughout society;

technology and its

underlines

the need for any public action not

2.5
to
produce distortions in the system and not to jeopardise the
principle of competition. Measures taken by Member States
must not be discriminatory and must not favour one market
operator in relation to another;

calls for close attention to be paid to the risks linked
2.6
with public support measures, because on the one hand a failed
intervention could jeopardise the public interest objectives
involved, and on the other it could work to the detriment of
competitiveness and the impulse to innovate. At all events,
since public intervention, e.g.
in the case of broadcasting
‘switchover’, calls for a political judgment on the part of the
relevant national and/or regional authority, the judgment must
not be arbitrary but based on a valid market analysis. Account
will be taken of the special characteristics of the regions, in par-
ticular their size and number of inhabitants, when defining the
public support needed to provide infrastructures that guarantee
access wherever people live;

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calls for attention to be paid to the re-use of the spec-
2.7
trum of
frequencies made available by the shutdown of
analogue TV: to be re-used entirely for other TV channels, or
for new sectors and services, e.g. in the field of mobile tele-
phony;

2.8
a proliferation of the broadcasting channels available
could bring problems in the market's capacity to absorb all the
opportunities offered by technology: the victims could be the
small local broadcasting stations, for which the costs involved

in remaining competitive and the reduced advertising income
could become an obstacle. It could also have a negative impact
on local authorities, which can often make use of local radio
and television operators to promote and make the most of
specific local cultural and socio-economic features. On the
other hand, new technologies should make it possible to distri-
bute more information, accessible to an ever larger number of
citizens.

Brussels, 21 April 2004.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Peter STRAUB

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Proposal for a Decision of the European
Parliament and of the Council on a single framework for the transparency of qualifications and
competences (EUROPASS)’

(2004/C 121/03)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

Having regard to the ‘Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on a single
framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences (EUROPASS)’ (COM(2003) 796 final —
2003/0307 (COD));

Having regard to the decision of the Council of 14 January 2004 to consult it on this subject, under the
first paragraph of Article 265, Article 149 and Article 150 of the Treaty establishing the European Com-
munity;

Having regard to the decision of its President of 26 September 2003 to instruct its Commission for Culture
and Education to draw up an opinion on this subject;

Having regard to the Lisbon European Council of March 2000 on increased transparency of qualifications;

Having regard to the Mobility action plan adopted by the Nice European Council in December 2000;

Having regard to the conclusions of the Barcelona European Council of March 2002 on transparency of
EU diplomas and qualifications;

Having regard to the Commission Communication of 21 November 2001 on Making a European Area of
Lifelong Learning a Reality;

Having regard to European Parliament Recommendation 2001/613/EC and to the Council Recommenda-
tion of 10 July 2001 on promoting and generalising the use of transparency documents, with a view to
creating a European qualification area;

Having regard to the Commission Communication of 13 February 2002 on an Action Plan for skills and
mobility;