The European Commission had proposed reform of EU telecoms
regulation and last week secured the support of member states. Only
the Parliament's blessing was required for the new plan to be
implemented.
However, the Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of an
amendment today, that has blocked the whole deal and sent it back
for negotiation between the three governing bodies.
The Parliament amended the proposal's plans on disconnection of
internet users for alleged file sharing. France has tried to pass a
law allowing for the disconnection of suspected file-sharers after
two warnings.
The Commission-backed reform said that users could have access
to an independent tribunal if they wanted to contest disconnection.
The Parliament's amendment says that disconnection can only occur
if ordered by a court.
"No restriction may be imposed on the fundamental rights and
freedoms of end users, without a prior ruling by the judicial
authorities … save when public security is threatened," said the
amendment. It had been inserted by the Parliament before, but taken
out by the Council of Ministers later on in negotiations.
The rest of the reform package was accepted by the Parliament,
but no part of it can pass until it all does. A Parliament
statement said that the proposal would protect consumer rights.
"The directive will give consumers the right to better
information on prices, tariffs and terms and conditions," it said.
"Contracts will need to specify the way emergency calls are made
and their location traced, any restrictions on access to certain
content or types of equipment (for example if VoIP – Voice over
Internet Protocol – calls are blocked on mobile phones which
otherwise offer internet connections), the applicable legal
conditions, the quality parameters of the service, the length of
the contract, the prices and rates applied, the types of customer
and after-sales service available, payments methods, charges, if
any, for transferring a number to another operator or for
terminating a contract."
The package also contains an earlier compromise on telecoms
regulation. The Commission had wanted a strong EU-wide regulator,
but the Parliament won a concession from the Commission that
instead there would be a regulatory body made up of the heads of
the 27 member states' own regulators.
"MEPs and the Council agree to set up a Body of European
Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) composed of a
board of the heads of the 27 national regulators and a European
Commission representative," said the Parliament statement. "As an
independent expert advisory body, BEREC will issue opinions and
recommendations to help the Commission, and upon request the
European Parliament and the Council, to apply the electronic
communications regulatory framework effectively and
consistently."
"This amendment is an important restatement of the fundamental
rights of EU citizens," said Viviane Reding, the EU Telecoms
Commissioner. "For many, it is of very high symbolic and political
value. I call on the Council of Ministers to assess the situation
very carefully … the Telecoms Council on 12 June should be used for
a political discussion on whether agreement on the package is still
possible or whether the discussion will have to start again with
the new European Parliament in autumn."
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