OfcomWatch friend, Yves Blondeel of T-REGS, posted an excellent summary and analysis of the latest developments in the EU’s consideration of Europe’s regulatory framework for electronic communications.

The best nugget from T-REGS report:

Kai-Uwe Ricke, Executive Chairman of Deutsche Telekom, stressed that, in his opinion, ‘the main problem is not the current legal framework, but the current regulatory practice, which leads to more regulation, including of newly emerging markets and innovative services’. In his presentation, he openly confronted the European Regulators Group (ERG), which, according to him, ‘is putting lots of effort in issuing guidelines and recommendations to justify regulation, including of new markets, and is not working on reducing regulation’. Mr Ricke emphasised that DTAG needs certainty about the scope of regulation, that risks are greater than ever before, and that risks are increased by the threat of regulation. He praised the United States for its recent forbearance from regulation on broadband and internet markets, and indicated that Deutsche Telekom will focus over 50% of its investment outside Europe, especially in the United States (T-Mobile USA). He also stated very explicitly that ‘if policy makers want investment in Europe, there is a need for an immediate change of regulatory policy, i.e. to reduce the scope of regulatory intervention’, and that ‘the European Parliament should exercise political control on the implementation of the legal framework by National Regulatory Authorities’ and that ‘a new strategic review is needed at EU level.’

Blunt message…