Activities of Gunnar HÖKMARK related to 2011/0299(COD)
Plenary speeches (1)
Trans-European telecommunications networks (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on guidelines for trans European telecommunications networks and repealing Decision No 1336/97/EC PDF (547 KB) DOC (867 KB)
Amendments (53)
Amendment 1 #
Proposal for a regulation
Title
Title
REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on guidelines for trans-European telecommunicationsdigital networks and repealing Decision No 1336/97/EC
Amendment 3 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) TelecommunicationsDigital networks and services are increasingly becoming internet-based infrastructures, with broadband networks and digital services closely interrelated. The internet is becoming the dominant platform for communication, services, and business. Therefore, the trans-European availability of fast Internet access and digital services in the public interest is essential for economic growth and the Single Market.
Amendment 10 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) The Digital Agenda for Europe stipulates that by 2020 all Europeans should have access to internet speeds of above 30 Mbps and 50% or more of European households should subscribe to internet connections above 100 Mbps. However, given the rapid evolution of technologies that lead to ever faster internet connexions, it is appropriate today, for all Union households, to target internet connections above 100 Mbps with 50% of the households having access to 1 Gbps.
Amendment 11 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 a (new)
Recital 11 a (new)
(11a) A European market with nearly 500 million people connected to high-speed broadband would act as a spearhead for the development of the Internal Market, creating a globally unique critical mass of users exposing all regions to new opportunities and giving each user increased value, as well as giving the Union the capacity to be a world leading knowledge-based economy. A rapid deployment of high-speed broadband networks is crucial for the development of European productivity and for the emergence of new and small enterprises that can be leaders in different sectors, for example health care, manufacturing and the service industries.
Amendment 13 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 b (new)
Recital 11 b (new)
(11b) While the deployment of fibre and ultra high-speed broadband connections in the Union remains unsatisfactory, other economies in the world are taking the global lead by offering significantly higher capacity and speeds of 1 Gbps and beyond. Investment in fibre, both in the home and in passive infrastructure in the backhaul network, is a crucial ingredient if the Union is to be home to innovation, knowledge and services.
Amendment 14 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 c (new)
Recital 11 c (new)
(11c) Targets for 2020 should be revised, aiming for the Union to have the fastest broadband speed in the world by seeking to ensure that by 2020 all Union citizens have access to 100 Mbps and 50% of Union households have access to 1 Gbps or more.
Amendment 15 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13 a (new)
Recital 13 a (new)
(13a) Public funding for broadband should be spent solely on infrastructures open to competition. Only networks open to competition via mandated third party access can deliver affordable competitive services and innovation for consumers and businesses.
Amendment 16 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13 b (new)
Recital 13 b (new)
(13b) Ensuring that consumers are easily able to access and distribute content, services and applications of their choice via a single internet subscription is of vital importance for the completion of the Union's single digital market. In this context, BEREC's findings of May 2012 show that at least 20% of mobile internet users in Europe experience some form of restriction on their ability to access VoIP services. Although competition is expected to discipline operators, progress has been very slow and the publicly- funded telecommunications networks covered by this Regulation should therefore be prohibited from blocking lawful services.
Amendment 21 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1
Article 1 – paragraph 1
1. This Regulation lays down guidelines for the timely deployment and interoperability of projects of common interest in the field of trans-European telecommunicationsdigital networks.
Amendment 22 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 2 – point a
Article 2 – paragraph 2 – point a
"TelecommunicationsDigital networks" means broadband networks and digital service infrastructures.
Amendment 24 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 2 – point f
Article 2 – paragraph 2 – point f
f) "Broadband networks" means wired and wireless access networks, ancillary infrastructure and core networks capable of delivering very high speed connectivity, thereby contributing to the broadband targets of the Digital Agenda for Europ100 Mbps and 1Gbps where possible and above.
Amendment 36 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3
Article 6 – paragraph 3
3. Second pPriority shall be given toalso to other digital service infrastructures in support of specific provisions of EU legislation and based on existing building blocksas listed in the annex (Section 1.2.).
Amendment 37 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3 – point a (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 3 – point a (new)
(3a) As the core service platform is a pre- condition for establishing a digital service infrastructure, the support to core service platforms and their common building blocks shall take priority over generic services.
Amendment 40 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 5 – point a
Article 6 – paragraph 5 – point a
(a) make a significant contribution to the realisation of thebroadband targets of the Digital Agenda for Europ100Mbps and 1Gbps where possible and above.
Amendment 41 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1 a (new)
Recital 1 a (new)
(1 a) A European market with nearly 500 million people connected to high-speed broadband would act as a spearhead for the development of the Internal Market, creating a globally unique critical mass of users exposing all regions to new opportunities and giving each user increased value and Europe the capacity to be a world leading knowledge-based economy. A rapid deployment of fast and ultra-fast broadband networks is crucial for the development of European productivity and for the emergence of new and small enterprises that can be leaders in different sectors, for example health care, manufacturing and the service industry.
Amendment 42 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1 b (new)
Recital 1 b (new)
(1 b) The development of broadband traffic shows that the demand for bandwidth continues to be insatiable. The demand for mobile data traffic increases by 50 percent per year and is driven by bandwidth demanding applications and services, more Internet users and more online content, especially video.
Amendment 43 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1 c (new)
Recital 1 c (new)
(1 c) This exponential growth in broadband traffic will require ambitious policies at Union and Member States level, both for fixed and mobile broadband, if Europe is to achieve more growth, competitiveness and productivity.
Amendment 44 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1 d (new)
Recital 1 d (new)
(1 d) The Radio Spectrum Policy Program is an important step to increase Europe's mobile broadband opportunities and it is therefore crucial that Member States implement swiftly its provisions.
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7
Article 7
The Union may establish contacts, discuss, exchange information and cooperate with public authorities or any other organisations in third countries to achieve any objective pursued by these guidelines. Among other objectives, this cooperation shall seek to promote the interoperability between telecommunicationsdigital networks in the Union and telecommunicationsdigital networks of third countries.
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1 e (new)
Recital 1 e (new)
(1 e) The discussions about how and when to open up the 700 Mhz (694 - 790 MHz)for mobile broadband is of vital importance if Europe is to avoid hitting the capacity roof.
Amendment 46 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1 f (new)
Recital 1 f (new)
(1 f) The European Parliament´s Resolution of 11 May 20111 refers to the need for action to harmonise additional spectrum bands, such as the 700 MHz band. 1 P7_TA(2011)0220
Amendment 49 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 2 – last paragraph
Article 8 – paragraph 2 – last paragraph
The Expert Group may also consider any other issue relating to the development of the trans-European telecommunicationsdigital networks.
Amendment 51 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – Section 1 – first paragraph
Annex – Section 1 – first paragraph
Interventions in the area of digital service infrastructure generally rely on a two-layer architecture approach: core service platforms and generic services. As the core service platform is a pre-condition for establishing a digital service infrastructure, the support to core service platforms and their common building blocks shall take priority over generic services.
Amendment 54 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – section 1 – point 2 – introductory part
Annex – section 1 – point 2 – introductory part
2. Other digital service infrastructures a priori identified as eligible in accordance with Article 6.1 and 6.3:
Amendment 54 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3 a (new)
Recital 3 a (new)
(3 a) While the deployment of fibre and ultra-fast broadband connections in Europe remains unsatisfactory, other economies in the world such as China, Japan and South Korea are instead taking the global lead by offering significantly higher capacity and speeds of 1 Gbps and beyond. Investment in fibre, both in the home and in passive infrastructure in the backhaul network, is a crucial ingredient if Europe is to be home to new innovations, knowledge and services.
Amendment 55 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3 b (new)
Recital 3 b (new)
(3 b) In order to ensure competitiveness of the Union and to facilitate the growth of a European world leading service economy, the current Digital Agenda Targets should be achieved by 2015 instead of 2020.
Amendment 56 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3 c (new)
Recital 3 c (new)
(3 c) Targets for 2020 should be revised, aiming for Europe to have to fastest broadband speed in the world by seeking to ensure that by 2020 all Europeans have access to 100 Mbps and 50% of EU households have access to 1 Gbits or more. Projects eligible for funding set out in this regulation should deliver minimum speeds of 100 Mbps to rural areas and 1 Gbps to high density or urban areas.
Amendment 60 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) The Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions -European Broadband: investing in digitally driven growth concludes that the critical role of the internet means that the benefits for society as a whole appear to be much greater than the private incentives to invest in faster networks. Public investments in fast and ultra-fast broadband networks should be carefully targeted towards low and high density areas where there is a lack of commercial incentives to invest. Public support for this area is therefore necessary, but shouldmust not unduly distort competition nor create disincentives to invest.
Amendment 62 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 a (new)
Recital 4 a (new)
(4 a) Ultra-fast broadband in high density/urban areas is crucial if Europe is to reap the significant economic growth related benefits springing from a modern Internet economy. Cities that can offer world-leading broadband speeds will attract innovations, investments, knowledge and enterprises, benefiting the whole of the Union. Whereas private investments should continue to be the main driver, public investments, specifically passive infrastructure with very long down payment times, could stimulate the deployment of ultra-fast broadband networks which offer speeds of 1 Gbps, and with a possibility to upgrade to 10 Gbps or more, and where there is no clear business case to deliver such high speeds.
Amendment 63 #
(ha) Deployment of infrastructures in public transport allowing the use of secure and interoperable mobile proximity services: the deployment of infrastructures in public transport allowing the use of secure and interoperable mobile proximity services will enable citizens, businesses and organisations to access a variety of innovative services in mobility across the Union.
Amendment 65 #
(hb) European Platform for Access to Educational Resources. The objective is to exploit the benefits of ICT in the field of education through Europe-wide access to shared educational material. Cost- effective access to and improved quality of educational material through peer-review would strengthen European cohesiveness by enabling contacts, cooperation and debates among students and in the academic world. It would serve as a backbone for cooperation between educational institutions facilitating the implementation of other Union programmes such as "Erasmus for All". It would improve access to education and enhance the position of the Union in the global academic realm.
Amendment 68 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) Within the framework of a system of open and competitive markets, the Union's intervention ismay be necessary where market failures need to be overcome and where there is no business case to deliver speeds of 100 Mbps in rural areas and 1 Gbps in urban areas or more. By providing financial support and additional financing leverage to infrastructure projects the Union can contribute to the establishment and development of trans- European networks in the area of telecommunications, thus generating higher benefits in terms of market impact, administrative efficiency and resource utilisation.
Amendment 69 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – section 2 – point 2 – introductory part
Annex – section 2 – point 2 – introductory part
All projects financially supported under this Regulation shall significantly contribute to the achievement of the targets of the Digital Agenda for Europ100Mbps and 1Gbps and above where possible.
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9 a (new)
Recital 9 a (new)
(9 a) Public funding for broadband should be spent solely on infrastructures open to competition. Only networks open to competition via mandated third party access can deliver affordable competitive services and innovation for consumers and businesses.
Amendment 72 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – section 2 – point 2 – point a – subparagraph a
Annex – section 2 – point 2 – point a – subparagraph a
(a) be based on state-of-the art technology, either wired or wireless, capable of delivering very high-speed broadband services of speeds to at least 100 Mbps, thus meeting demand for applications which require high bandwidth, or
Amendment 73 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9 b (new)
Recital 9 b (new)
(9 b) Ensuring that consumers are easily able to access and distribute content, services and applications of their choice via a single internet subscription is of vital importance for the completion of the Union's Single Digital Market. Recalls, in this context BEREC's findings of May 2012 showing that at least 20% of mobile Internet users in Europe experience some form of restriction on their ability to access VoIP services. Whereas competition is expected to discipline operators, progress has been very slow and publicly funded telecommunications networks set out in this regulation should therefore be prohibited to block lawful services.
Amendment 74 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – section 2 – point 2 – point a – subparagraph c a (new)
Annex – section 2 – point 2 – point a – subparagraph c a (new)
(ca) Comply with applicable law, in particular with competition law and with the obligation to ensure access. Only networks open to competition should be eligible for public funding as set out in this Regulation.
Amendment 75 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – section 2 – point 2 – point a – subparagraph c b (new)
Annex – section 2 – point 2 – point a – subparagraph c b (new)
(cb) Support the open character of the internet by ensuring that blocking of lawful services on telecommunications networks funded via this Regulation is prohibited, while allowing for reasonable traffic management at time of network congestion at peak hours, respecting the minimum quality of service requirements stipulated in Article 22(3) of Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (the Universal Service Directive).
Amendment 77 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – section 2 – point 2 – point b
Annex – section 2 – point 2 – point b
b) Actions funded from additional ring- fenced contributions provided in accordance with Article 15.2 of Regulation (EU) No xxxx/2012 [CEF regulation] shall bring significant new capabilities to the market in terms of broadband service availability, speeds and capacity. Projects which provide speeds of data transmission of less than 3100 Mbps should ensure the increase of speeds to at least 3100 Mbps over time.
Amendment 128 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 2
2. ‘BFast broadband networks’ means wired and wireless (including satellite) access networks, ancillary infrastructure and core networks capable of delivering very high speed connectivity with at least 100 Mbps per customer.
Amendment 129 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 2 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 2 a (new)
2 a. 'Ultra fast broadband networks' means wired and wireless (including satellite) access networks, ancillary infrastructure and core networks capable of delivering very high speed connectivity with at least 1 Gbps per customer.
Amendment 142 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the deployment of ultra fast broadband networks ensuring the speed of data transmission of 100 M Gbps and above;
Amendment 152 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) the deployment of fast broadband networks to link island, landlocked and peripheral regions with the central regions of the Union ensuring in those regions that speeds of data transmission are sufficient to permit broadband connectivity of 3100 Mbps and above;
Amendment 211 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 2
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 2
Investment in broadband infrastructure has been undertaken predominantly by private investors and it is expected that this will remain the case. However, the achievement of the Digital Agenda targets willmay require investment in areas for which there is not a clear business case or where a business case may need to be enhanced within the time frame of the targets. The following types of areas can be characterized on the basis of the likely investment:
Amendment 227 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 8
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 8
Actions contributing to the project of common interest in the field of broadband networks shall constitute a balanced portfolio including actions contributing to both the 3100Mbps and the 100M Gbps Digital Agenda targets, covering suburban, rural and ruralban areas in particular, as well as areas across the European Union.
Amendment 231 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 9 – point a
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 9 – point a
(a) Support investments in broadband networks capable of achieving the Digital Agenda 2020 target of universal coverage at 30100 Mbps; or
Amendment 238 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 9 – point b
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 9 – point b
(b) Support investments in broadband networks, capable of achieving the Digital Agenda 2020 target and of having at least 50% of households subscribing to speeds above 100M Gbps;
Amendment 242 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 9 – point c
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 9 – point c
(c) Comply with applicable law, in particular with competition law. Only networks open to competition (via mandated third party access) should be eligible for public funding set out in this Regulation.
Amendment 244 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 9 – point c a (new)
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 9 – point c a (new)
(c a) Support the open character of the Internet by ensuring that blocking of lawful services on telecommunications networks funded via this regulation is prohibited, while allowing for reasonable traffic management at time of network congestions at peak hours, respecting the minimum Quality of Service requirements stipulated in Article 22(3) of Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (the Universal Service Directive).
Amendment 250 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 11
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 11
The deployment of broadband networks to connect island, landlocked and peripheral regions with central regions of the Union, including where necessary submarine cables, will be supported where it is essential to ensure access by isolated communities to broadband at 3100 Mbps and above. This support should complement other funds, whether EU or national, available for this purpose.
Amendment 254 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 13 – point a
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 13 – point a
(a) Telecom operators and fibre network operators (incumbent, whether investing directly or through a subsidiary or new- entrant) launching investments in fast and ultra fast broadband networks.
Amendment 256 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 13 – point b
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 13 – point b
(b) Utility companies (e.g. urban and municipality networks, water, sewage, energy, transport), which are expected to invest in passive broadband networks, either alone or in partnership with operators.
Amendment 260 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 13 – point d
Annex 1 – section 2 – paragraph 13 – point d
(d) Partnerships between several operators (private as well as public) active in wired and wireless markets to build new generation of infrastructures.