Under the terms of the Communication adopted recently by the European Commission, the scope of universal service shall remain unchanged for the time being. The Commission reached this conclusion following the assessment of the results of the public consultation on the universal service review, launched in May 2005.
According to the Commission, this public consultation procedure has supported the position adopted in the Communication issued by the Commission in May 2005. Therefore, no new reasons have been identified that justify the alteration of the position that neither the mobile market nor the broadband market fulfil the conditions provided for in the Universal Service Directive for their inclusion in the scope of the universal service.
Nevertheless, having regard to technology and market evolution and in the context of the review of the electronic communications regulatory framework, to be launched in 2006, a forward-looking policy debate on universal service provision must be considered, in order to ensure that global targets thereof continue to correspond to the Lisbon targets, as indicated in the Communication “i2010 - A European Information Society for growth and employment”.
Further information:
- COM(2006) 163 final, 7.4.2006 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2006:0163:FIN:EN:PDF
- SEC(2006) 445, 7.4.2006 (Annex to the Report regarding the outcome of the Review of the Scope of Universal Service in accordance with Article 15(2) of Directive 2002/22/EC) http://ec.europa.eu/governance/impact/ia_carried_out/docs/ia_2006/sec_2006_0445_en.pdf
Related information on ANACOM's website:
- European Commission launches debate on universal service https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=275851
- Telephone Service at a Fixed Location and Universal Service https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=16441
- Electronic communications - regulatory framework (2002) https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=130696
