EU Governments Oppose an Open Wireless Infrastructure

[Michel Bauwens]

La Quadrature du Net - For immediate release

Permanent link: http://www.laquadrature.net/en/eu-governments-oppose-an-open-wirele...


EU Governments Oppose an Open Wireless Infrastructure



*** Paris, October 11th, 2011 - As the European Union engages in important discussions on the future of the radio spectrum policy - i.e the future of open wireless communications -, it's becoming clear that national governments are aligned on the position of dominant telecom operators. To protect open wireless communications operated and controlled by citizens, the EU Parliament must resist the pressure and defend its position. ***

Last Spring, in its vote on the Radio Spectum Policy Programme (RSPP), which aims at harmonising wireless communications policies at the EU level) [1], the Parliament affirmed its support to open spectrum policy [2].

For instance, it favored the free use by everyone of so-called “white spaces” (bands of frequencies left unused by broadcasters) [3] and called on the swift roll-out of small network devices and antennas [4] that can be used by citizens and businesses to build shared mesh networks [5] and create the next generation of WiFi-like networks. The Parliament stressed that all these promising wireless technologies at the service of citizens can expand mobile broadband coverage in rural areas, thus bridging the digital divide. [6]

However, as of today, Member States are pushing hard to strike down the Parliament's most innovative open spectrum amendments to the RSPP. A working document [7] shows that national governments - who are currently negotiating with the Parliament - want to get rid of the important references to these groundbreaking technologies (see table below).

As the United States moves closer and closer from establishing a comprehensive legal and technical framework for using white spaces [8], the EU risks lagging behind because of our governments' conservatism under the pressure of telecom operators lobbies.

"The open spectrum policy adopted by the European Parliament can play a key role in fostering access to a decentralized and citizen-oriented Internet architecture. By their attempt to block increased competition and innovation in wireless communications, national governments are serving dominant telecoms operators's attempts to control the flow of communications. We must not tolerate that governments undermine EU competitiveness and prevent underserved populations from participating in online communications. The Parliament must resist the pressure and defend an open wireless Internet", says Félix Tréguer, policy and legal analyst for La Quadrature du Net.


Article 4.2.2

//EU Parliament:// Member States shall foster, in cooperation with the Commission, the collective use of spectrum as well as shared and unlicensed use of spectrum. They shall also foster current and new technologies such as geolocation databases and cognitive radio to develop for example in white spaces following a proper impact assessment. That impact assessment shall be issued within twelve months of the entry into force of this Decision .
//EU Council:// Member States shall foster, in cooperation with the Commission and where appropriate, the collective use of spectrum as well as shared use of spectrum.


Article 4.3.a

//EU Parliament:// Member States shall intensify R&D on new technologies such as cognitive technologies as their development could represent an added-value in the future in terms of efficiency of spectrum use.
//EU Council:// Erased


Article 6.4.a

//EU Parliament:// The Commission shall, in cooperation with Member States, assess the feasibility of extending the allocations of unlicensed spectrum for wireless access systems including radio local area networks established by Decision 2005/513/EC1 to the entire 5GHz band.
//EU Council:// Erased


Article 6.6.a

//EU Parliament:// Member States, in cooperation with the Commission, shall examine the possibility of spreading the availability and use of picocells and femtocells. They shall take full account of the potential of those cellular base stations and of shared and unlicensed use of spectrum to provide the basis for wireless mesh networks, which can play a key role in bridging the digital divide.
//EU Council:// Erased.



* References *

1. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/file.jsp?id=5872922

2. http://www.laquadrature.net/en/eu-parliament-adopts-open-wireless-c...

3. For recent experiments on the potential of these frequencies, see: http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2011/09/27/cambridge-white-space-tri...

4. Such as so-called picocells and femtocells.

5. https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Mesh_networking

6. See in particular article Article 6.6.a: Member States, in cooperation with the Commission, shall examine the possibility of spreading the availability and use of picocells and femtocells. They shall take full account of the potential of those cellular base stations and of shared and unlicensed use of spectrum to provide the basis for wireless mesh networks, which can play a key role in bridging the digital divide.

7. Proposal of the Hungarian Presidency on behalf of the EU Council: http://www.laquadrature.net/files/201106_European_Radio_Spectrum_Po...

8. http://www.mobileburn.com/news.jsp?Id=16644



** About la Quadrature du Net **


La Quadrature du Net is an advocacy group that promotes the rights and freedoms of citizens on the Internet. More specifically, it advocates for the adaptation of French and European legislations to respect the founding principles of the Internet, most notably the free circulation of knowledge.

In addition to its advocacy work, the group also aims to foster a better understanding of legislative processes among citizens. Through specific and pertinent information and tools, La Quadrature du Net hopes to encourage citizens' participation in the public debate on rights and freedoms in the digital age.

La Quadrature du Net is supported by French, European and international NGOs including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Society Institute and Privacy International.

List of supporting organisations: https://www.laquadrature.net/en/they-support-la-quadrature-du-net


** Press contact and press room **

Jérémie Zimmermann, [e-mail], [phone]

http://www.laquadrature.net/en/press-room



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