Regulating the Communications Market: How the Europeans Did It
. The global nature of communications platforms today, in particular, the Internet, are providing a key which will open the door to the further integration of the world economy. This will open opportunities and challenges not only for the European Union, but also for our neighbours in Central and Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, and more broadly, in the developing world. At the same time, the low cost of establishing a presence on the World Wide Web, is making it possible both for businesses of all sizes to develop a regional and global reach, and for consumers to benefit from the wider choice of goods and services on offer. Globalization will therefore be a key theme in future developments, as changes in Europe and around the world are mirrored by developments universally.There is widespread agreement that regulation is good for competition and a reality that convergence is occurring at the technological level. That is to say that digital technology now allows both traditional and new communication services - whether voice, data, sound or pictures - to be provided over many different networks.If Europe can embrace these changes by creating an environment which supports rather than holds back the process of change we will have created a powerful motor for job creation and growth, increasing consumer choice and promoting cultural diversity. If Europe fails to do so, or fails to do so rapidly enough, there are real risks that our businesses and citizens will be left to travel in the slow lane of an information revolution which is being embraced by businesses, users and by Governments around the World.
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