EU: Media convergence

The Commission has published a working document on the convergence of telecommunications, the media and information technologies. The consultation, launched last December, aroused great interest with over 270 contributions from industry, users, regulatory authorities and other interested parties. However, it did not lead to a consensus, except on the need for better regulatory coordination, and the Commission says it needs time for further reflection before taking a definitive stance in December. The working document invites comments on: access to networks and digital gateways, the encouragement of investment, the production, distribution and availability of European content, and regulatory options. The working document and responses to the original Green Paper are available from the AIG and can be accessed from http://www.ispo.cec.be/convergencegp. …Meanwhile, the UK government has set out a framework for consultation on convergence regulation in a Green Paper entitled “Regulating communications: approaching convergence in the Information Age”, published jointly by the DTI and the DCMS.