41 Amendments of Sabine VERHEYEN related to 2011/0299(COD)
Amendment 7 #
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 support for this area is therefore necessary, particularly in rural areas, but should not unduly distort competition.
Amendment 8 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
With regard to digital service infrastructures, building blocks and digital services infrastructures with elements that can be used by other service providers shall take priority over other digital service infrastructures, since the former are a pre- conditionprovides a basis for the later to build on. Digital service infrastructures should, inter alia, create European added value and meet proven needs. They should be sufficiently mature for deployment, technically as well as operationally as proven in particular through successful piloting. They should be based on a concrete sustainability plan to ensure the long-term operation of core service platforms beyond the CEF. Financial assistance under this Regulation should therefore wherever possible be phased out over time and funding from sources other than the CEF should be mobilised.
Amendment 8 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 a (new)
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) Net neutrality is vital for an open internet.
Amendment 9 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9 a (new)
Recital 9 a (new)
(9a) As regards the use of public-private partnerships to provide fast broadband services, particularly in rural areas, it is desirable to make use of such partnerships between regional and local authorities and small and medium-sized ICT undertakings in the field of public ICT services, with European funding, as they can form a sustainable basis for the local development of skills and knowledge throughout the EU.
Amendment 10 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) Substantial economic and social benefits, which cannot be captured nor monetised by investors, are associated with higher broadband speeds. Fast and ultra- fast broadband is the key enabling infrastructure for the development and deployment of digital services, which rely on the availability, speed, reliability and resilience of the physical networks. The comprehensive deployment and take-up of faster networks opens the way for innovative services exploiting higher speeds. Action at Union level is necessary to maximise the synergies and interactions between those two components of digital telecommunications networks.
Amendment 10 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) Telecommunications 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, education, cultural content and doing business. Therefore, the trans-European availability of fast Internet access at affordable prices and digital services in the public interest is essential for economic growth and the Single Market. , the Single Market and the digital integration of people and of entire economically and culturally deprived areas.
Amendment 11 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Innovative internet services, modern software and communications applications and mobile devices with internet connections call for constantly rising data rates. The deployment of ultra- fast broadband will particularly benefit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the cultural and creative sector, which often cannot benefit from web-based services such as 'cloud computing' due to inadequate connectivity and speed of existing broadband connections. This will unlock the potential for substantial productivity gains for SMEs and for the cultural and creative industries. The aim should therefore be to create connections with high data rates even in rural areas.
Amendment 12 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 a (new)
Recital 11 a (new)
(11a) To serve rural areas, it is vital to expand access networks, which facilitate the linking of individual house connections.
Amendment 13 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) Increasing and preserving access to Europe's rich and diverse cultural content and data held by public sector bodies, and opening them up for reuse in full respect of copyright and related rights, will nurture creativity and spur innovation and entrepreneurship. Unhampered access to re-usable multilingual resources will help overcome language barriers, which undermine the internal market for online services and limit access to knowledge. It must, however, remain possible for national, regional and local decision- makers to decide for themselves on the use of their information and to cover a large part of their costs arising from the performance of their public duties.
Amendment 13 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) On 26 March 2010, the European Council welcomed the Commission's proposal to launch the strategy Europe 2020. One of the three priorities of Europe 2020 is smart growth through the development of an economy based on knowledge and innovation. Investments in telecommunications, notably broadband networks and digital service infrastructures, are a necessary condition for smart but also sustainable and inclusive economic growth ofand social and cultural participation by citizens in the Union.
Amendment 14 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) In order to take into account the developments in the areas of information and communication technologies, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of amending the Annex to this Regulation. It is of particular importance that the Commission carries out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level and at regional and local level. The objective of this delegation is to address new technological and market developments, emerging political priorities or opportunities for exploiting synergies between different infrastructures, including those in the fields of Transport and Energy. The scope of delegation is limited to modifying the description of projects of common interest, adding a project of common interest or removing an obsolete project of common interest according to pre-established, clear and transparent criteria.
Amendment 15 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1
(1) contribute to economic growth and support the development of the Single Market, and promote the digital integration of entire economically and culturally deprived areas, resulting in the improvement of the competitiveness of the European economy, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
Amendment 16 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2
(2) contribute to improvements in daily life for citizens, businesses and governments through the promotion of the interconnection and interoperability of national telecommunication networks as well as access to such networks at affordable prices.
Amendment 16 #
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 growth9 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 support for this area is therefore necessary, particularly in rural areas, but should not unduly distort competition.
Amendment 17 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 3
(3) stimulate Europe-wide deployment of fast and ultra-fast broadband networks, in accordance with the principle of technological neutrality, which, in turn, shall facilitate the development and deployment of trans- European digital services.
Amendment 18 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 5 a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 5 a (new)
(5a) subscribe to the principles of net neutrality.
Amendment 19 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the comprehensive deployment of ultra fast broadband networks ensuring the speed of data transmission of 100 Mbps and above;
Amendment 20 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) the deployment of broadband networks, particularly ‘access 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 30 Mbps and above;
Amendment 21 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
(da) Support for public-private partnerships between regional and local authorities and small and medium-sized ICT undertakings in the field of public ICT services.
Amendment 21 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 a (new)
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) Net neutrality is vital for an open Internet.
Amendment 22 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8 a (new)
Recital 8 a (new)
(8a) The projects of common interest listed in this regulation should also help to survey infrastructure at European, national and regional level as soon as possible in order to identify gaps in broadband provision and eliminate digital bottlenecks by means of public and private investment.
Amendment 23 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 3
Article 5 – paragraph 3
(3) Member States and/or other entities, including regional and local authorities, in charge of the implementation of projects of common interest or contributing to their implementation shall take the necessary legal, administrative, technical and financial measures in compliance with the corresponding specifications of this Regulation.
Amendment 25 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) Within the framework of a system of open and competitive markets, the Union's intervention is necessary where market failures need to be overcome. 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. In the projects to be financed, account should be taken of the principle of technological neutrality, which is vital for an open Internet.
Amendment 26 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9 a (new)
Recital 9 a (new)
(9a) As regards the use of public-private partnerships to provide fast broadband services, particularly in rural areas, it is desirable to make use of such partnerships between regional and local authorities and small and medium-sized ICT undertakings in the field of public ICT services, with European funding, as they can form a sustainable basis for the local development of skills and knowledge throughout the EU.
Amendment 28 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) Substantial economic and soci, social and cultural benefits, which cannot be captured nor monetised by investors, are associated with higher broadband speeds. Fast and ultra- fast broadband is the key enabling infrastructure for the development and deployment of digital services, which rely on the availability, speed, reliability and resilience of the physical networks. The comprehensive deployment and take-up of faster networks opens the way for innovative services exploiting higher speeds. Action at Union level is necessary to maximise the synergies and interactions between those two components of digital telecommunications networks.
Amendment 30 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Innovative Internet services, modern software and communications applications and mobile devices with Internet connections call for constantly rising data rates. The deployment of ultra- fast broadband will particularly benefit small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the cultural and creative industries, which often cannot benefit from web-based services such as 'cloud computing' due to inadequate connectivity and speed of existing broadband connections. This will unlock the potential for substantial productivity gains for SMEs and the cultural and creative industries. The aim should therefore be to create connections with high data rates even in rural areas.
Amendment 32 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 a (new)
Recital 11 a (new)
(11a) To serve rural areas, it is vital to expand access networks, which facilitate the linking of individual house connections.
Amendment 35 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2
Article 6 – paragraph 2
2. Building blocks essentialand mature digital service infrastructures containing technical models (such as an interoperable data model, a standard for, andccess rights or a networking model connecting all Member States) with demonstrable prospects of being used in, the development, deployment and operation of other digital service infrastructures as listed in the annex shall be given first priority for funding.
Amendment 37 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) Increasing and preserving access to Europe's rich and diverse cultural content and data held by public sector bodies, and opening them up for reuse in full respect of copyright and related rights, will nurture creativity and spur innovation and entrepreneurship. Unhampered access to re-usable multilingual resources will help overcome language barriers, which undermine the internal market for online services and limit access to knowledge. It must, however, remain possible for national, regional and local decision- makers to decide for themselves on the use of their information and to cover a large part of their costs arising from the performance of their public duties.
Amendment 41 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) In order to take into account the developments in the areas of information and communication technologies, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of amending the Annex to this Regulation. It is of particular importance that the Commission carries out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level and at regional and local level. The objective of this delegation is to address new technological and market developments, emerging political priorities or opportunities for exploiting synergies between different infrastructures, including those in the fields of Transport and Energy. The scope of delegation is limited to modifying the description of projects of common interest, adding a project of common interest or removing an obsolete project of common interest according to pre-established, clear and transparent criteria.
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – point 1
Article 2 – point 1
(1) contribute to economic growth and, support the development of the Single Market and promote the digital integration of entire economically and culturally deprived areas, resulting in the improvement of the competitiveness of the European economy, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
Amendment 49 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – point 2
Article 2 – point 2
(2) contribute to improvements in daily life for citizens, businesses and governments through the promotion of the interconnection and interoperability of national telecommunication networks as well as access to such networks at affordable prices.
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – Section 1 – second paragraph
Annex – Section 1 – second paragraph
The core service platforms and their common building blocks address interoperability and security needs of projects of common interest. They are intended to enable digital interactions between public authorities and citizens, public authorities and businesses and organisations, or among public authorities of different Member States through standardised, cross-border, and user- friendly interaction platforms. Building block dDigital service infrastructures sthall take priority overt provide an integral part of other digital service infrastructures, since the former are a pre- condition foor that can serve as a model for new platforms, shall take priority over othe latterr digital service infrastructures. The generic services provide the connection to the core service platforms and enable the national added value services to use the core service platforms. They provide gateways between national services and core service platforms and allow national public authorities and organisations, businesses and/or citizens to access the core service platform for their cross-border transactions. The quality of the services and the support for stakeholders involved in cross-border transactions shall be assured. They shall support and stimulate take-up of core service platforms.
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – point 3
Article 2 – point 3
(3) stimulate the Europe-wide deployment of fast and ultra-fast broadband networks in accordance with the principle of technological neutrality with the emphasis on rural areas, which, in turn, shall facilitate the development and deployment of trans- European digital services.
Amendment 53 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – point 5 a (new)
Article 2 – point 5 a (new)
(5a) subscribe to the principles of net neutrality.
Amendment 55 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – section 1 – point 2 – point f
Annex – section 1 – point 2 – point f
(f) Access to digital resources of European heritage: This refers to the core service platform based on the current Europeana portal. The platform will provide a singles the central access point to Europeana cultural heritage content at item level, a set of interface specifications to interact with the infrastructure (search for data, download data), support for the metadata adaptation and ingestion of new content, as well as information on conditions for reuse of the content accessible through the infrastructure.
Amendment 56 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – point a
Article 4 – point a
(a) the deployment of comprehensive ultra fast broadband networks ensuring the speed of data transmission of 100 Mbps and above;
Amendment 57 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – point b
Article 4 – point b
(b) the deployment of broadband networks, particularly ‘access 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 30 Mbps and above;
Amendment 64 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – point d a (new)
Article 4 – point d a (new)
(da) supporting public-private partnerships between regional and local authorities and small and medium-sized ICT undertakings in the field of public ICT services.
Amendment 67 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 3
Article 5 – paragraph 3
(3) Member States and/or other entities, including regional and local authorities, in charge of the implementation of projects of common interest or contributing to their implementation shall take the necessary legal, administrative, technical and financial measures in compliance with the corresponding specifications of this Regulation.
Amendment 75 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – paragraph 2
Annex – paragraph 2
The deployment and enhancement of trans- European telecommunication networks (broadband networks and digital service infrastructures) shall contribute to fostering economic growth, creating jobs, promoting Europe’s cultural heritage and achieving a vibrant digital single market. In particular, their deployment will grant faster access to the internet, bring about information technology-enabled improvements in daily life for citizens, including children and young persons, businesses and governments, increase interoperability and facilitate the alignment or convergence to commonly agreed standards.