The EC has proposed an International Charter to strengthen world-wide co-ordination for the elimination of barriers to the development of the information society. The Commission believes it is in the interests of industry, users and the general public to ensure greater consistency in global rules for doing business electronically and for using the global communications… Continue reading EU: EC Proposes Information Society Charter
On 28 January the EU Council adopted a common position for a Directive on guaranteeing the transparency of national rules on information society services. It is aimed at ensuring that new regulations in this area do not create barriers to free movement in the European single market. The position will now be forwarded to the… Continue reading EU: Council’s Common Position
The new Data Protection Bill – which is necessary to implement the European Data Protection Directive – has been laid before Parliament. It will replace the Data Protection Act of 1984 over the next three years. The Direct Marketing Association of the UK has already given the new Bill a cautious welcome. One of the… Continue reading UK: Data Protection Bill
Barring unforeseen setbacks the formal adoption of the Directive banning tobacco advertising should take place on 12 February during the next EU Research Council meeting in Brussels. Germany (which had voted against the political agreement reach on a common position at the Health Council on 4 December) is behind the slight delay in the formal… Continue reading EU: Directive Adopted This Week
Monday The House of Lords will be debating an amendment to the Competition Bill, aimed at curbing the power of Rupert Murdoch’s News International newspaper titles. It is understood, however, that the Government is opposed to the motion.Tuesday The Retail Prices Index for January is released at 9:30am.Reuters will be announcing financial results.The MRG will… Continue reading The Week Ahead
France has unveiled the draft of a new television law, aimed at limiting French communications groups’ dependency on foreign interests. However it does not set any maximum stake that a single shareholder may hold in a TV network or communications group. The Conseil Superieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA), the French TV watchdog, will also be shaken… Continue reading FR: Draft For New TV Law
On 28 January in the European Parliament Roy Perry MEP (EPP, UK) called for fast action at an EU level and for formal discussions to take place on press intrusion and the role of European media. Perry noted that it was now five months since the issue of press intrusion had been referred to an… Continue reading EU: Press Intrusion Debate
The Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television and the Periodical Publishers Association have announced their joint commitment to encouraging the production of “masthead” programmes, programmes produced as joint ventures between print publishers and TV producers. Since March 1997 the ITC has permitted the production and broadcasting of such programmes on non-terrestrial channels in Britain. The… Continue reading UK: Masthead Programming
“If electronic cash transactions are to increase in future, the question of consumer protection cannot be left to wait. Customer confidence is a major problem for these new methods of payment. This is why our committee believes the Commission’s paper has come at just the right time and why we have given it our unanimous… Continue reading EU: Electronic Cash Rules
Capital Radio’s new Capital Gold network which was given the go-ahead last week by the Radio Authority (subscribers see Capital Gold To Extend Reach), announced its programme schedule this week. The network, which will broadcast across Hampshire, Sussex, Kent and Birmingham as well as London, promises to “bring some of London’s best known presenters to… Continue reading Capital Gold Network Announces Programme Line-Up
