Commission to hold public hearing on unbundling of the local loop
The European Commission's Competition DG will hold a public hearing in Brussels on 8 July to analyse remaining barriers to the unbundling of the local loop (ULL) and the progress of competition in the provision of broadband Internet access and services. At the meeting, which will be opened by Competition Commissioner Mario Monti, the Competition DG will present the findings of the second phase of its local loop sector inquiry, launched in July 2000. Industry will also be asked to share their experiences and express their views on how to effectively implement ULL. The hearing will also discuss the findings of a study prepared for the Commission by law firm Squire, Sanders and Dempsey on local loop unbundling in the European Economic Area (EEA). This will include focus on the difficulties faced by new entrants to the market seeking to rent copper lines from incumbents to deploy services such as broadband services to customers. The Commission says the hearing is part of ongoing efforts to ensure effective implementation of ULL and promote competition in broadband services. The Competition DG is currently investigating alleged anti-competitive behaviour through several competition cases and through the local loop sector enquiry. At the initiative of the Information Society DG, it has also launched infringement proceedings against Member States that have not fully implemented the ULL regulation. All interested parties are welcome to attend the hearing.