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EU publishes text of roaming, net neutrality compromise
2015-07-08 16:47:00| Telecompaper Headlines
(Telecompaper) The EU Council of permanent representatives of the member states has given final approval to the compromise reached last week with the European Parliament on changes to roaming regulations and the introduction of net neutrality rules. The text of the agreement was published by the Council, and after the technical details of the law's text are confirmed, it will go to a final vote by Parliament and the Council in the autumn. Under the agreement, roaming surcharges in the European Union will be abolished from 15 June 2017, although operators will still be allowed to apply a 'fair use policy' to prevent abusive use. This is thought to be using roaming services for purposes other than periodic travel. It will be up to the European Commission to define the amount of fair use, with a deadline on the decision of 15 December 2016. For roaming that goes beyond fair use, a small fee may be charged, and this fee cannot be higher than the maximum wholesale rate that operators pay. The wholesale rates are also planned to come down from current levels. The European Commission and Berec will review the wholesale roaming market and propose a new law by 15 June 2016. According to a statement from the Council, this will also include "safeguards" aimed at helping operators recover their costs for providing roaming. All of the new rules, as well as the agreed net neutrality regulation, are expected to take effect 30 April 2016.
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Category:Telecommunications