BEREC Chair at ITRE hearing: New BEREC for new tasks?

“Do you need a new BEREC to achieve its new tasks and missions?” asked Mr Soriano expressing BEREC’s strong disagreement on the EC proposal for the new structure of the Body.

On 26 January, in Brussels, BEREC Chair 2017 Mr Sebastien Soriano participated in the public hearing of the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy dedicated to the Review of the Framework for Electronic Communications.

The hearing was hold in two sessions: on networks and services and on governance, however the cross-cutting themes for all sessions was investment, digital divide and 5G.

The panel of the public hearing together with the BEREC Chair Mr Sébastien Soriano consisted of five high level industry representatives: Ms Lise Fuhr, Director-General, ETNO; Ms Lisa di Feliciantonio, Head, Public Policy and Media Relations, Fastweb; Mr Adam Fox-Rumley, Analyst, Global Telecoms, Media and Technology Research, HSBC and Mr Peter Olson, Vice President & Head of European Affairs, Ericsson.

During the first session the panel addressed aspects such as mapping, market analysis/transnational markets, access regulation (symmetrical and asymmetrical), co-investment, wholesale-only and availability in the context of universal service. Also aspects such as substitutable services/”OTTs”, and security and other requirements.

While the second session addressed the powers of NRAs/competent authorities, BEREC and

the European Commission (EC) taking into account the other bodies involved, such as the RSPG, as regards the general authorisation, the “double lock”, management of spectrum and other issues. The proposed future structure of BEREC was also discussed.

“Do you need a new BEREC to achieve its new tasks and missions?” asked Mr Soriano expressing BEREC’s strong disagreement on the EC proposal for the new structure of the Body. He highlighted several successful outputs of BEREC last year, supporting the idea that BEREC’s institutional set-up works the best in its current way, when the core business is in hands of experts from national regulatory authorities who commit themselves to find solution together.