September 2016: Highlights and Activities

International Meetings attended by MCA representatives

COCOM – 64^th Meeting
An MCA representative attended the Communications Committee (COCOM) 64^th General Meeting on the 30^th September 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. The committee met to discuss a number of current issues which form part of the Digital Single Market, such as the European Commission’s Implementing Regulation on Roaming and the e-Privacy Directive consultation, among others.

Digital Assembly 2016
Representatives of the MCA participated in the Digital Assembly 2016 as part of the Maltese delegation led by Hon. Minister Dr. Emmanuel Mallia, between the 28^th and 29^th September 2016 in Bratislava, Slovakkia. During the two day conference, participants were given the opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas with stakeholders on the European Digital Policy.

ECS – High Level Internet Governence Meeting
An MCA representative participated in the HLIG meeting that was held on the 26^th September 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting covered a number of Internet Governance topics including a presentation of the newly formed Next Generation Internet Unit, preparations for the Governmental Advisory Committee Meeting in Hyderabad and the IANA transition. Also a number of industry stakeholders participated in the multistakeholder session covering an overview of the new Global Internet Policy Observatory (GIPO) which is being supported by the European Commission. Other topics included preparations for the ICANN 57 meeting and for the 2016 Internet Governance Forum (IGF).

RSPG Working Group EU Bilateral Coordination – Good Offices Meeting
A representative of the MCA participated in the RSPG Working Group on Cross Border Coordination on the 22nd September 2016 in Rome, Italy. The working group drafted a report to describe in which situations the RSPG “good offices” were carried out, which results have been achieved and what lessons can be learnt from their application. The working group also considered a draft questionnaire to be used to collect information regarding the 700 MHz frequency band.

ECS – EU Matters – Roundtable on ‘Digitising European Industry’
An MCA representative along with a Maltese Delegation participated in a roundtable discussion on the Digitising European Industry initiative on the 20th September 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. The roundtable, chaired by Gunther Oettinger, was attended by high-level EU government representations, presidents of the European Public Private Partnerships under Horizon 2020 and Director-Generals of European Associations representing relevant industries and social partners. The overall objective of the Digitising European Industry initiative is to ensure that any industry in Europe, big or small, wherever situated and in any sector can fully benefit from digital innovations to upgrade its products, improve its processes and adapt its business models to the digital change.

BEREC – WG – Net Neutrality Experts Working Group
A representative of the MCA attended the BEREC’s Experts Working Group on Net Neutrality on the 22nd September 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. The working group, serving as a platform for NRAs to discuss the implementation of Net Neutrality in their respective countries, will resume its discussions related to Quality of Service following the conclusion and publication of the BEREC Guidelines. The Experts Working Group participated in a conference call with the FCC (US) and shared experiences on Net Neutrality from both continents.

BEREC Expert Working Group – Regulatory Framework EWG Meeting
An MCA representative participated in BEREC’s Expert Working Group on Regulatory Framework on the 20th September 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. The intention of the meeting was to review the Framework Directive, where member states presented their initial feedback on the proposals and also highlighted any issues for further improvement.

3rd BEREC/IRG Contact Network Meeting
A representative of the MCA participated in the 3rd BEREC/IRG Contact Network Meeting on the 15th and 16th September 2016 in Larnaca, Cyprus. The main objective of this meeting was the preparation for the 28th Plenary Meeting of the BEREC Board of Regulators and the BEREC Office Management Committee.

IS – Staff Mobility to Enhance Active Aging
An MCA representatives participated in the Erasmus+ funded programme on Staff Mobility to Enhance Active Aging which took place in Vilnius, Lithuania between the 5^th and 8^th September 2016. The primary intention of the meeting was to promote knowledge transfer and gain new experience about innovative ways on the quest to address the digital divide. Staff members exchanged projects’ and initiatives’ ideas and had the opportunity to discuss and plan future innovative projects with regards to active aging.

MCA Publications & Website Uploads

Responses to the Consultation on the Licensing Framework for the Complimentary Ground Component (CGC) of the 2 GHz Mobile Satellite Service (MSS)
Published on: 29^th September 2016  http://bit.ly/2e3u3U0

The Malta Communications Authority (MCA) welcomes Nominations for the Sixth Edition of the MCA eBusiness Awards
Published on: 27^th September 2016  http://bit.ly/2e04Wp9

Grade Appeal Form
Published on: 26^th September 2016  http://bit.ly/2deVQlM

Key Market Indicators for Electronic Communications and Post: Q1 2012 to Q2 2016
Published on: 14^th September 2016  http://bit.ly/2e3uWvZ

Expression of Interest – Provision of Audio-Visual Services
Published on 12^th September 2016  http://bit.ly/2dDHITN

The Assignment of Spectrum in the 800 MHz Band – Call for Expression of Interest
Published on: 12^th September 2016  http://bit.ly/2dOqtNX

Responses to the Consultation on the Assignment Process for the 1.5 GHz Band
Published on: 7^th September 2016  http://bit.ly/2e09kEZ

BEREC Publishes Guidelines on Net Neutrality
Published on: 2^nd September 2016  http://bit.ly/2deYfgn

Media participation by MCA

MCA representatives’ participation in radio and television programmes.

Radio

29.09.16:        ‘One Magazine’ – One Radio
                        (L-Internet – Yanika Cassar)
                        http://bit.ly/2dWhycL

29.09.16:        ‘L-Informatika u s-Soċjetà’ – Radju Marija
                        (Il-Proġetti tal-Awtorità Maltija dwar il-Kommunikazzjoni)
                        http://bit.ly/2dWie1I

20.09.16         ‘Kuntatt’ - Radju Marija
                        (L-Aċċess għall-Kontijiet – Yanika Cassar)
                        http://bit.ly/2dqIUGW

05.09.16         ‘Kuntatt’ – Radju Marija
                        (Roaming – Yanika Cassar)
                        http://bit.ly/2dRF5yj

Television

30.09.16         ‘News Feature’ – One TV

                        Office Visit MEP Dr. Miriam Dalli
                        http://bit.ly/2dTP3ix 

International News

REGULATION

European Commission: Roaming fair use rules: Commission services submit draft to European Parliament, Member States and EU telecoms regulators
The Commission services have published a revised draft of the rules needed to avoid abuses of the end of roaming charges in time for June 2017 [read more].

Total Telecom: 3UK 'not confident' Ofcom can stand up to BT, Vodafone
3UK is not confident that Ofcom will implement the measures that it thinks are necessary to protect and improve competition in the UK telco sector [read more].

EurActiv: After botched first attempt, Commission proposes new roaming bill with no time limit
In a bid to save face after a wave of outrage, following a botched first attempt earlier this month, the European Commission proposed a new bill to get rid of mobile roaming charges by June 2017 [read more].

Total Telecom: EU overhauls telco rules in bid to stimulate Gigabit broadband rollouts
The European Commission has proposed easing network access rules as part of a sweeping reform package designed to stimulate massive investments in ultrafast broadband infrastructure [read more].

Cullen International: Telecoms Review: basic broadband connection to be included in the universal service scope
The European Commission has proposed to include in the scope of universal service the provision of an affordable basic broadband connection at a fixed location, based either on wired or wireless solutions. Voice communications would also continue to be part of the scope [read more – subscription required].

EurActiv: Commission pushes controversial ‘Google tax’ to save news publishers
The European Commission has presented a plan to charge internet companies for linking to online news following a heated, two-year-long fight over whether the “Google tax” will help publishers stay profitable—or simply be overzealous regulation that could “break the internet” [read more].

Total Telecom: EC withdraws draft roaming fair usage policy
The European Commission has binned its draft fair usage policy (FUP) regarding free roaming, just days after it was published [read more].

Total Telecom: EC to relax wholesale access rules in bid to encourage fibre investment
The European Commission plans to relax rules that require telcos to open up their infrastructure to rivals in a bid to encourage the deployment of new fibre networks, it has emerged [read more].

EurActiv: Irish parliament backs Apple tax appeal after angry debate
Ireland’s parliament battled through an ill-tempered debate to vote in favour of appealing a European Commission ruling ordering the country to collect billions of euros in unpaid taxes from tech giant Apple [read more].

Ars Technica: Net neutrality guidelines land in Europe, provide fuzzy rules on fast lanes
Europe’s telecoms regulators—after months of work, and nearly half a million comments from the public—have failed to come up with a concrete rule on so-called zero-rating [read more].

Telecoms.com: Europe stings Apple for €13 billion plus interest in Irish back taxes
The European Commission has ruled a reduced corporation tax deal between Ireland and devices giant Apple was illegal and is looking for retrospective repayments that could top €13 billion [read more].

Advanced Television: EU: Digital infrastructure needs €700bn
Europe needs to invest €700 billion in digital infrastructure to catch up with the US and China, Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said [read more].

SPECTRUM

Policy Tracker: Will 5G need a new spectrum licensing approach?
Spectrum availability is the biggest challenge facing the radio access network (RAN) in connection with 5G, according to around one-third of 800 telecoms industry executives surveyed for a new report [read more  - subscription required].

Policy Tracker: Brussels wants new powers for BEREC
The European Commission’s proposal seeks to turn the regulatory body into a fully-fledged agency tasked with reviewing EU member states’ spectrum assignments [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker: Brussels announces regulatory framework review results
Five documents are to be adopted by the Commission today, including a legislative proposal for a new Electronic Communications Code, and more on the “Gigabit Society” [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker: EBU opposed to current SDL in lower UHF proposal
The European Broadcasting Union's spectrum management chair told PolicyTracker that demonstrations are one thing, but conditions under which such networks could be rolled out need more work to ensure that TV services are protected [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker: Top DG Connect official tells industries regulation can't keep changing
Anthony Whelan, director of DG Connect's electronic communications unit, has said broadcasters need a degree of visibility as to how their sector will evolve, adding that this is about things that might happen before 2023 [read more – subscription required]. 

Telecoms.com: Three moans about spectrum allocation
Three UK CEO Dave Dyson has claimed the imbalanced distribution of spectrum is harming consumers and challenger mobile players alike [read more].

Policy Tracker: Deutsche Telekom -  Verizon's 2017 '5G' rollout will not be 5G
A Deutsche Telekom (DT) spokesperson said Verizon’s messages regarding 5G were related to the specific requirements of Verizon. The US operator is seeking to provide improved connectivity with a mix of fibre and antennas, the latter covering the "last mile" from station to the home [read more – subscription required].

Telecoms.com: AT&T and Sierra Wireless announce LTE-M pilot, so does Verizon
US telcos AT&T and Sierra Wireless have announced they will be trying out LTE-M tech in San Francisco later this year with a view to hastening the use of LTE for IoT [read more].

INTERNET

European Commission: Broadband Internet Access Cost (BIAC) study
As the provision of fast and ultra-fast internet access for all is one of the priority action areas of the “Digital Agenda for Europe” (DAE) initiative, the European Commission pursues the monitoring of broadband internet access offers, which was started in the frame of the “i2010 – A European Information Society for growth and employment” initiative [read more].

Mashable: Google launches Google Station for fast Wi-Fi everywhere
Google wants every public place on the planet to have fast Wi-Fi service. Less than one year after Google began connecting railway stations in India with free Wi-Fi service, the company has introduced a similar program to bring fast Wi-Fi service across the world. The company plans to bring fast Wi-Fi service to cafes, malls and all other places with a new initiative it calls Google Station [read more].

Telecoms.com: Vodafone promises not to lie about broadband speeds
Vodafone UK is trying to make a big deal out of signing up to an Ofcom code of practice most of its competitors joined ages ago [read more].

Total Telecom: BT, Virgin Media team up to defend Openreach
BT and Virgin Media will launch a joint advertising campaign defending Openreach's track record in the face of sustained attack from Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone [read more].

Ars Technica: AT&T changes mind about denying discounted service to poor people
AT&T will stop exploiting a loophole that it used to deny a discounted home Internet service to poor people in areas where it hasn't upgraded its network [read more].

Ars Technica: AT&T refuses to offer low-income discounts for sub-3Mbps Internet
When AT&T purchased DirecTV, merger conditions imposed by the Federal Communications Commission required the ISP to offer Internet service for either $5 or $10 a month to people with low incomes [read more].

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Post & Parcel: Deutsche Post DHL Group set to buy UK Mail
Deutsche Post DHL Group has reached an agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer to buy UK Mail Group plc, one of the largest integrated mail and parcel operators within the UK [read more].

Total Telecom: OKs 3 Italia/Wind deal
As expected, the European Commission gave the go-ahead for 3 Italia and Wind's €21.8 billion merger, paving the way for the creation of Italy's biggest mobile operator and Iliad's arrival in the country [read more].

INNOVATION

The Memo: This high-tech card is being rolled out by French banks to eliminate fraud
Your bank security is pretty broken. It’s not your fault, it’s just really hard to keep people’s money safe, especially online [read more].

EurActiv: EU countries want legal change for driverless cars – but they’ll have to wait
Driverless cars have figured into several EU policy plans lately, as politicians have advocated for speeding up work on the technology to stop countries like the United States from having a leg up on European auto manufacturers [read more].

Total Telecom: Telco vendors, car makers form 5G connected car group
A group of telco vendors has joined forces with the automotive industry to drive the development and uptake of 5G services for connected cars [read more].

The Economist: In a whole new light
Flickering lamps are normally a headache-inducing nuisance. But if the flickering happens millions of times a second—far faster than the eye can see or the brain respond to—then it might be harnessed to do something useful, like transmitting data. That, at least, is the idea behind a technology dubbed Li-Fi by its creators [read more].

POST 

Post & Parcel: Delivery is a vital factor for online shoppers
A new report from PostNord has found that Europe’s online shoppers rate delivery as an increasingly important factor in their buying decisions [read more].

Post & Parcel: Posti re-affirms schedule for combining domestic letter classes and supports calls for deliveries three days a week
Finland’s Posti has re-affirmed that it will be combining its domestic letter 1st and 2nd payment classes on 1 January and also supported plans for a three-days-a-week delivery plan [read more].

Post & Parcel: PostEurop welcomes European Parliament’s support for sustainable universal service
PostEurop has welcomed the European Parliament’s decision to adopt a resolution on the application of the Postal Service and support a sustainable universal service [read more].

Post & Parcel: Royal Mail delivers Quality of Service targets
Royal Mail has reported that it beat its regulatory First Class mail target in the first quarter of the financial year 2016-2017, with 93.3% of this mail delivered the next working day [read more].

ECOMMERCE

European Commission: Antitrust - Commission publishes initial findings of e-commerce sector inquiry
The Commission launched the e-commerce sector inquiry in May 2015 in the context of its Digital Single Market strategy. One of the main parts of the Digital Single Market strategy is to ensure better access for consumers and businesses to goods and services [read more].

TELEVISION

Advanced Television: FCC drops STB proposal from September meeting
Following mounting criticism from certain parties and support from others, the FCC has announced that its proposed Set-Top Box Order has been removed from the September 29 Open Meeting Agenda. The proposal will go on the Commission’s circulation list and remain under consideration by Commissioners [read more].

Ars Technica: Charter fights FCC’s attempt to uncover “hidden” cable modem fees
Charter is trying to convince the Federal Communications Commission to backtrack on a plan that would force cable providers to charge a separate fee for cable modems [read more].

Advanced Television: Millennials forego pay-TV for SVoD
According to research from The Diffusion Group, a majority of Millennial Cord-Nevers – adult broadband users between the ages of 20 and 35 that have never signed up for a legacy pay-TV service – perceive subscription streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu satisfy their video needs. Consequently, they feel little need for a traditional cable, satellite, or telco-TV service [read more].

Advanced Television: Italy’s Rai launches free OTT service
Italian public broadcaster Rai has launched its new multimedia platform, with free access via app and PC, both online and offline [read more].

Advanced Television: Broadcasters push back on EC copyright reform
The European Commission have released their latest proposals altering the rules governing copyright. Of chief importance to commercial broadcasters across Europe is the proposed Regulation that lays down rules on the exercise of copyright and related rights applicable to certain online transmissions of broadcasting organisations and retransmissions of television and radio programmes (“the Regulation”) [read more].

The Verge: Netflix wants annoying data caps to be illegal
Netflix wants you to be able to stream plenty of TV shows whether you’re at home or on a mobile connection, so it’s pushing for the US government to make some data caps illegal [read more].

Advanced Television: Liberty Global multi-national boost for Netflix
International cable TV and broadband company Liberty Global has agreed a multi-year partnership with Netflix which will lead to Netflix’s content being made available to Liberty Global video customers across more than 30 countries around the world [read more].

Total Telecom: Vodafone UK eyes October for TV soft launch
Vodafone is planning a soft launch of its long-anticipated UK TV service in October, it emerged [read more].

Politico: Bankers steal virtual cash from the kids
Besuited central bankers are about to crash the cool kids’ digital currencies party [read more].

The Verge: FCC scraps its ambitious cable box plan in favour of apps
The Federal Communications Commission is making huge changes to its plan to overhaul cable boxes, scrapping much of the initial idea in favour of having cable companies make new apps [read more].

Ars Technica: Comcast to FCC: Your set-top box plan is illegal
Comcast has accused the Federal Communications Commission of violating the law with its new proposal for helping consumers avoid renting set-top boxes [read more].

Telecoms.com: HSBC introduces facial tracking authentication for the selfie generation
UK bank HSBC is allowing new business banking customers to open an account entirely through its smartphone app, allowing it to make constant references to selfies [read more].

EurActiv: Leaked bill forces broadcasters to put TV online across EU
Broadcasters may be forced to show content across the EU, not just in the country where they’re based, under draft legislation put forward in the face of strident opposition from major companies across Europe [read more].

INFORMATION SOCIETY

Advanced Television: Nearly half global population now online
India has overtaken the US to become the world’s second largest Internet market, with 333 million users, trailing China’s 721 million. But a new report from the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development also confirms that just six nations – including China and India – together account for 55% of the total global population still offline, because of the sheer size of their populations [read more].

European Commission: New Eurobarometer shows how 15 to 45 year olds use the internet to access music, films, TV series, images and news
How do people listen to music, watch films & TV series, or read the news today? A new Eurobarometer survey shows that a majority of Europeans, aged 15 to 45, use the internet at least once a week to read the latest news (72%), listen to their favourite music (63%), find pictures (54%) and watch films or TV series (53%) [read more].