6 Amendments of Julie WARD related to 2016/2305(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Expresses concern that the EU is lagging behind North America and parts of the Asia-Pacific region when it comes to 4G access and projections for 5G uptake in particular in rural areas;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to ensure that Member States, local authorities and other partners, including the community and voluntary sector, are able to engage with the complex range of grants, financial instruments and public-private partnerships that are available for connectivity projects; acknowledges the establishment of the Broadband Fund but urges the EIB and the Commission to focus efforts on improving existing programmes that support the IT sector, such as Horizon 2020, rather than creating new ones;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Recalls that the significant contrast in broadband speeds in rural and urban areas in many Member States is a severe disadvantage for rural areas, where there are large numbers of small and micro enterprises and businesses dependent on effective connectivity, putting at risk the social, cultural and economic life in the communities there;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Reiterates the need to bridge the connectivity gap between regions, in particular in rural and isolated areas, and to foster digital inclusion and internet access including for older people, which are also crucial elements in terms of active citizenship and social inclusion; underlines the particular role of the European structural and investments funds in achieving an inclusive and cohesive gigabit society;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that the ambitious goals published by the Commission in September 2016 will not be achieved without empowering Member States, national regulatory authorities and local government; is deeply concerned that the opinion of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) on the new electronic communications framework highlights the potential for increased EU- level interference, additional bureaucracy and an undermining of its independence;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the certainty that 25- year licences for radio spectrum will bring to investors; calls on the Commission to review its approach to harmonisation given that one third of the spectrum that can be used for wireless mobile broadband remains unassigned; believes that there is little evidence to justify further centralisation of spectrum policy, for example through implementing acts.