EU: Gov’t backtracks on landline price-fixing

The European Commission has announced the decision not to fix prices for landline services using traditional copper networks after an inquiry into the suggestion found that consumers would pay higher rates in 10 of the European Union’s nations. The proposal would have required telecommunications companies to charge between $10.48 and $13.10 for access to rivals’ networks. In a document obtained by Reuters, the Commission has decided against the proposal due to price hikes in various locations. The regulator had initially hoped that the continent’s telecommunications leaders – Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, France Telecom and Telecom Italia – would re-invest money made from those traditional copper network prices into infrastructure to more modern, high-speed broadband projects. As expected, the proposal raised concerns, especially among the Both of European Regulators for Electronic Communications as well as operators that are renting the networks.

Full Content: Reuters

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