27 September Telecoms Council

Date: 03/10/1996

COMMUNICATIONS ministers reached political agreement on a system for licensing telecommunications firms once full liberalisation of the sector begins in 1998. The directive would oblige governments to use open and objective procedures for awarding operating licences and establish a 'one-stop-shop' for those wanting to operate in more than one member state. The Commission and some member states had disagreed over when to oblige operators to apply for individual licences and when to allow them to fall under a general authorisation scheme demanding no further approval. Ministers agreed to require individual licences when governments need to allocate radio frequencies, numbers, grant access to land or impose public-service obligations. Governments will only be allowed to limit the number of operators in a sector to ensure the efficient use of frequencies, or temporarily because of a shortage of numbers. The rules must be implemented by 31 December 1997.

THE Council agreed on the details of a plan for coordinating the regulation of satellite personal communications services. Ministers rejected a proposal from the Commission to set up a unified system for selecting and endorsing satellite systems. Instead, they gave primary responsibility for regulation to the European Conference for Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT). The CEPT will be expected to draw up plans to harmonise the use of frequency bands and procedures for approving the use of new systems by mid-1997. The Commission, as well as the CEPT, will draw

up a one-stop shop regime for authorising systems in more than one member state simultaneously.

TO address the problem of child pornography on the Internet, ministers agreed to refer the subject to a working party and come up with specific proposals in time for the next Telecoms Council on 28 November. The group will include representatives of the 15 telecoms ministries, publishers and companies providing online services. Belgian Communications Minister Elio di Rupo told the meeting that his government was planning to require Internet access providers to monitor and report material on their services which depicted the sexual abuse of children. The British and Swedish ministers warned that the EU should not be tempted into censorship and advocated a self-regulatory system.

MINISTERS agreed to adopt a directive on the liberalisation of postal services by the end of

the year.