Press Release: Telecoms: Consultation on future universal service in digital era

A public consultation on what is the best approach to ensure that basic telecoms services are available for all EU citizens was launched on 2 March 2010 by the European Commission. Current EU rules on universal service obligations for telecoms date from 2002 and guarantee that Europeans have access to public telephone networks and to services like basic internet access. The consultation aims to see if these rules and definitions on universal service need to be updated for the digital age, and in particular if they should be extended to cover broadband access. Reactions from consumers, industry stakeholders, and policy experts will help the Commission decide if it needs to present new legislative proposals on universal service obligations for telecoms by the end of 2010. The consultation will run until 7 May 2010.