ecta condemns EC Gigabit Connectivity proposals
ecta ,
the European Competitive Telecommunications Association , has analysed the leaked text of the proposed EC Recommendation on the regulatory promotion of Gigabit Connectivity , which is currently in interservice consultation within the European Commission . ecta says it is “ stunned ” by its content , in particular : I . the absence of a public consultation on a text that appears to be undemocratic in nature , going well beyond the legal instrument that underpins it ; II . that it would have a strong adverse impact on the contestability of markets and on investments in Gigabit networks ; III . that it would lead to increased prices for consumers and therefore will harm take-up of Gigabit connections ( contrary to the 2030 Digital Compass and Path to the Digital Decade set out by the European Commission itself ), and will fuel inflation .
According to ecta , the draft proposal on Gigabit Connectivity overrules in several aspects the European Electronic Communications Code ( EECC ), a legislative act approved by the European Parliament and the Council . The draft proposed EC
Recommendation is therefore undemocratic . “ Indeed , in no circumstances can a recommendation solely issued by the European Commission depart from what is stipulated in the act providing for its legal basis or impose a forced interpretation thereto ,” contends ecta . “ Unfortunately , this is exactly what this draft recommendation is doing , namely departing from the EECC and interpreting it in a way to give more priority to one of its objectives . In the case of the EECC , the objectives are defined in Art 3 . The leaked draft Recommendation prioritises specific objectives to the detriment of the others .” ecta says the most blatant examples are : I . the use of language that the co-legislator did not accept when the EECC was negotiated , to interpret Art 74 ( 1 ) of the EECC in a way as to force National Regulatory Authorities ( NRAs ) to lift or relieve wholesale price control obligations on operators with Significant Market Power ; II . neutralising the possibility for NRAs to impose additional regulatory obligations on
operators with Significant Market Power pursuant to Art 73 after having imposed remedies under Art 72 despite the fact that the balance in the EECC between Art . 72 and Art . 73 is the result of the colegislation process ;
III . pushing NRAs towards encouraging operators with Significant Market Power to come forward with proposed voluntary commitments , and accepting such commitments in lieu of imposing regulatory obligations foreseen in the EECC , thus going beyond what is stipulated in Art . 79 ; IV . artificially raising wholesale prices for access to legacy copper networks during their phasing-out period , and wholesale prices to Very High Capacity Networks , without providing any justification . Overall , ecta says the intent of the text appears to revolve entirely around increasing the profitability of the ex-monopoly telecom operators in EU Member States , reversing 25 years of successful liberalisation and promotion of competition . Detrimental impacts on competition , on the achievement of the internal market , and on citizens ’ interests are inevitable , as are detrimental impacts on alternative operators ’ ability to compete , including the deployment of their own Very High Capacity Networks .
Furthermore , ecta questions the impartiality of the process . It says the study commissioned by DG-Connect on regulatory incentives for the deployment of Very High-Capacity Networks in the context of the revision of the Commission ’ s Access Recommendations failed to consider pro-competitive options and , in ecta ’ s opinion , is biased in favour of the SMP operators ( in practice essentially the incumbent telecommunication operators ). “ Obviously , it is impossible to reach pro-competitive conclusions when the procompetitive options have been discarded or ignored prior to the analysis ”, it argues .
Accordingly , ecta recommends significantly adapting the text of the forthcoming EC Recommendation on the regulatory promotion of Gigabit
Connectivity , in order to consider the positive impact of competitor operators on investment and citizens ’ interests , to avoid fuelling inflation , to respect the will of the co-legislator in the EECC . ecta also demands that the European Commission prepares a full impact assessment and submit the adapted text to public consultation .
Paramount +, Three UK deal
SVoD service Paramount + has joined forces with Three UK to give customers access to more than 8,000 hours of entertainment titles .
Three UK becomes the streaming service ’ s first major mobile partner in the UK , as Paramount + continues to grow its direct-to-consumer distribution .
Paramount + is now available to new customers of Three UK who take out a qualifying monthly plan . Paramount + is the exclusive SVoD partner for Three UK , offering customers complementary access to the service for varying durations , depending on their tariff . At the end of their introductory offer , customers can roll onto mobile billing to pay for the service at the current market rate .
Paramount + brings together exclusive originals , blockbuster films and iconic series across every genre from Paramount ’ s world-renowned brands and production studios including Comedy Central , MTV , Nickelodeon , Paramount Pictures , SHOWTIME and the Smithsonian Channel .
“ Mobile distribution is a crucial part of our strategy to reach the widest possible audience with our premium content proposition ,” said Akhila Khanna , vice president , partnerships and business development , UK , at Paramount .
“ Our partnership with Paramount + will make some of the best and biggest TV shows and films on the planet directly available to our customers ,” added Andy Foy , director of new products and propositions , at Three UK .
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