Legal experts offer advice on information society
The Information Society should not be viewed only as a promising new marketplace, governed by the forces of competition but also as providing an opportunity to let Europe benefit in terms of job creation, consumer choice, cultural diversity, and improvements for the democratic society, social and regional cohesion and growth, according to the Legal Advisory Board (LAB) of the European Commission. The LAB has published a position paper on the Commission's Green Paper on the convergence of the telecommunications, media and information technology sector (COM(97)623). The Green Paper was adopted by the Commission on 3 December 1997. The LAB position paper is the result of several meetings, at which LAB members discussed some of the important questions in the Green Paper. The position paper looks at: - Competition policy; - Licensing of converged networks and services; - Type and scope of regulation; - Computer broadcasting and telecommunications regulation; - Access and interconnection; - Public service and universal service; - The issue of a single regulator for communications; - Global implications. In the section on global implications, LAB strongly emphasises its support for the idea of developing an International Charter of Communications as a framework for global dialogue, recognising the work of existing international organisations, promoting the participation of the private sector and relevant social groups, and contributing to more regulatory transparency.