Public consultation on data economy

During its 36th plenary meeting (3-5 October 2018, Portorož) the Board of Regulators has approved the BEREC Public Consultation on data economy.

In recent years data has become a key resource for companies, civil society and governments. Advances in technologies, such as communications, computing, storage and software engineering, have allowed for cost reductions in data processing and storage, leading to the progressive incorporation of different economic actors into the data economy. This has also led to an exponential increase in data generated by consumers, private and public entities and, more recently, objects (the IoT).

The increasing availability of data and the development of tools to collect and analyse data is changing a large portion of the economy, enabling innovative business models, cost reductions, more informed decisions by consumers, institutions and firms, and increased economic growth. All societies, including Europe, should ensure that firms, institutions and citizens are ready to take advantage of the vast potential of this strategic asset.

Taking this into account, BEREC considers that it is important to study the impact of the data economy on the electronic communications sector that is under its regulatory scope, as well as considering the role that NRAs could play in the context of the data economy.

As part of the preparatory tasks, BEREC has prepared this call for input with the aim of getting insights from all types of actors (consumers, companies in the telecommunications sector, digital companies, other companies, institutions) on issues to be taken into account by NRAs in the context of the data economy, as well as ideas on where the experience of NRAs can be used, in collaboration with other regulatory bodies, to encourage the development of the data economy.

The public consultation  ran from 10 October to 21 November 2018.

All contributions will be published on the BEREC website, taking into account requests for confidentiality and publication of personal data. Any such requests should clearly indicate which information is considered confidential.