ISDN and regional development
The Committee of the Regions (COR) has adopted an opinion on the European Commission's proposal for a Council Decision on a series of guidelines for the development of ISDN as a trans-European network and for a multiannual Community action concerning the ISDN as a trans-European network. EURO-ISDN is the communication network which allows data to be made widely available at very low cost. The development of a trans-European ISDN telecommunication network is crucial to the effective operation of the internal market, Europe's position in world markets, economic and social cohesion in the EU, in addition to efficient cooperation with the EEA countries. ISDN is already operating on a commercial basis in eight Member States but all systems are technically aligned and the COR is keen that this should not have a detrimental impact on competition between Member States. The COR says that active consideration should be given to the concept of individuals as ISDN users for training, education, financial transactions and tourism to name but a few. This is likely to have a wide ranging effect on applications and use. The COR points out that ISDN investment should be economically viable at regional level and that the more profitable applications of ISDN should be given priority. Outlying regions should be given priority in access to ISDN and the inclusions of citizen oriented systems should be incorporated in areas where ISDN operates.