Commission to go back to industry on proposals for audio-visual ‘convergence’

Date: 23/07/1998

By Peter Chapman

THE European Commission is set to fire more questions at the EU audio-visual, information technology and telecoms industry when it unveils the first results of a debate on 'convergence' next week.

This follows the launch late last year of a Green Paper looking at the way digital technology is blurring the old gaps between traditional broadcasting, IT and telecoms by allowing hundreds of television channels, films, music and pictures to be delivered by satellite, cable and over telecom networks.

This prompted a fierce debate within the EU over the scope for changing the old regulatory frameworks for the media, drawn up in the days when space on the airwaves was so scarce that only a few TV and radio channels could operate.

But Commission officials say the institution wants to gather views from industry on three more key issues before launching a policy paper on convergence at the end of this year.

“We want to advance the debate pending the European Parliament's own response to the Green Paper due in September,” said one telecoms source.

The questions will aim to assess the scope for rules on interoperability and access to key new technology such as 'electronic programme guides' designed to navigate the multi-channel digital audio-visual services of tomorrow.

“This will not cover the competition side of access. It will be more to see how sector-specific rules such as the TV standards directive should be expanded to include new services,” said the source.

“Another question will cover the methods for the audio-visual industry to finance itself. The question is about creating a framework for investment and innovation. It will look at how we provide for European audio-visual production in a competitive digital environment.”

At the same time, the Commission will be asking respondents to examine “ways to reach the balance of regulation between the economics and promoting the public interest”.

“This basically covers consumer protection angles of convergence. There is a growing tendency for consumer protection to be looked at horizontally across many different sectors,” said the source.

“What we want to see is how the converging industry can set up self-regulation schemes and codes of practice that meet these requirements.”

He said the Commission was pleased with the 270 replies to its first round of questions on the issue.

“There was general agreement that convergence is already occurring at a technical level. But there was less agreement over whether it had occurred elsewhere,” he added.