Robert Bell

The liberalisation of the EU telecommunications markets, completed on 1 January 1998, created a strong European communications sector by promoting vigorous competition and innovation. The resulting revolutionary developments in technology and markets, necessitated a comprehensive review of regulatory policy to cater for dynamic and largely unpredictable markets. The EU adopted a new common regulatory framework for electronic communications and services in 2002, which simplifies and consolidates previous legislation. The 'Framework Directive' contains common provisions that underlie separate measures dealing with access and interconnection, authorisation, universal service and user's rights, data protection, local loop unbundling, harmonisation of use of the radio spectrum and competition issues. EU Electronic Communications Law provides comprehensive and expert analysis of the new regulatory framework, which covers all communications infrastructure and associated services: satellite networks, fixed and mobile terrestrial networks, cable TV networks, other networks used for radio and television broadcasting, and services which control access to these services. It derives from a section in the looseleaf Law of the EU (Vaughan & Robertson, eds), and is made available here for the benefit of those who don't subscribe to the looseleaf.