EU set to adopt big reform of bloc's telecom rules

The European Parliament is set to adopt a major reform of EU telecoms rules on Wednesday to increase consumer protection, competition and investment in new networks. EU Telecoms Commissioner, Viviane Reding, who drafted the reform, said it would have a big impact on two ways. "The first one is by getting rid of the last barriers of fragmentation in the EU telecoms market and reinforcing competition in the telecoms industry," Reding said. "It also gives new rights to users and reinforces their rights in the Internet world," Reding said. The reform updates existing EU telecoms rules that were drawn up before the big surge in broadband, Wifi and mobile phone usage as the bloc's 495 million citizens increasingly operate in a digital world. Consumers will get stronger, clearer rights when it comes to contracts they sign with telecom operators. Privacy will also be protected such as by forcing Websites to notify an user before it places a "cookie" on a person's computer, a step industry groups challenged.