Communications directive won't be applied to new technologies

The European Commission will not force operators to provide universal access to its services across the continent, Information Society and Media commissioner Viviane Redding has said.

The commission based its finding on a review of the Universal Service Directive, a regulation that requires that EU citizens have access to communications services. It for instance requires telecommunications providers provide access to public phone boxes, even though they are largely unprofitable and have been outdated by the rise of mobile telephones.

Mobile phone users already have widespread and affordable access, the report claimed. Broadband internet access meanwhile as a technology is lacking maturity that would cause it to be used by a "majority of consumers", which makes it fall outside of the directive's scope.

The conclusion is a relief for service provider, as a different finding would have forced them to extent their services to geographies that offer few revenue opportunities.

The commission furthermore opened the door to reform by raising questions about the current interpretation. It might for instance be reinterpreted as a requirement to provide access to a non-descript communications infrastructure rather than telephone service. The requirement to provide and operate payphones could come under review, and suggested to look at funding the services through taxation.