European Rules Aim to Accelerate EU's Broadband Take Rate

Long-awaited European Union telecommunications rules are set to take effect this week, the EU Commission said Monday. The rules, which must be adopted by EU member states by June 2011, will establish a new national governing authority for the field of telecommunications. "The establishment of the new European Telecoms Authority BEREC is a very visible sign that we are serious when we say that Europe's telecoms operators and consumers should no longer feel national borders in network access and the delivery of communication services," said Viviane Reding, the EU's Telecoms Commissioner, in a statement. "From spring 2010 onwards, BEREC will help national telecoms regulators and the European Commission to ensure that telecoms services can be delivered under consistent and competitive conditions across the EU. Now that the reform Directives have been published in the Official Journal, I ask Member States to start work on the swift transposition of these rules into national laws. A rapid and correct transposition will be crucial for achieving legal certainty, enhancing competition and stimulating investment in Europe's evolving single telecoms market," she said.