March - April 1999

• Germany - Public consultation for national telecoms network cost-oriented pricing
• UK - ITC-OFTEL joint consultation on bundling of television and telephony by cable operators
• USA - Satellite -TV bill amendment to settle distant signal eligibility dispute

January - February 1999

• Hong Kong - Regulatory Framework for convergence in the pipeline
• USA - FCC adopts order on payment of reciprocal compensation for Internet-bound traffic

November - December 1998

• USA - FCC fifth annual report on competition in video markets concludes that technological convergence has not yet occurred

September - October 1998

• Greece - Law on subscriber television and radio services enacted
• France - Council of State publishes a report on the Internet
• USA - FCC releases working paper on Internet over cable

July - August 1998

• Italy - Web page is not construed as press for publication of an allegedly defamatory message and Internet server is seized

May - June 1998

• OECD - Report on Internet traffic exchange released
• UK - Broadcast entertainment restrictions are to be lifted
• USA - AT&T sues Bell Telephone Company for preventing local phone service market entry

March - April 1998

• USA - FCC addresses Internet telephony and extension of universal service obligations to Internet Service Providers

January  - February 1998

• EC - The European Commission publishes final text of the notice on voice communications on the Internet
• USA - Local phone competition set back by court decisions

December 1997

• European Commission - Convergence Green Paper available for public debate

November 1997

• Greece - Council of State confirms legality of sanctions against TV broadcaster for breach of broadcasting rules of ethics
• Italy - Ministry of Communications promotes reduced phone rates for access to the Internet
• UK - Towards a single regulator of converging multimedia industries

October 1997

• Italy - Court holds that an Internet publication is not press for registration purposes

September 1997

• Mr Bangemann’s Geneva and Venice speeches
• Germany - New "Teleservices" Law
• Italy - New communications authority established having competence for media and telecoms
• Australia - Open competition in converging digital environment
• Japan - Deregulation in the info-communications market

Policy speeches by Martin Bangemann

• A new World Order for Global Communications Telecom Inter@ctive '97 Conference organised by the ITU Geneva 8 September 1997
• Europe and the Information Society - The Policy Response to Globalisation and Convergence Information Society Forum Venice 18 September 1997

Ispo server

• The ISPO server contains legal measures in the field of telecommunications andaudiovisual media

Legal Advisory Board

• Position paper on the Green Paper on the convergence of the telecommunications, media and information technology sectors
• Convergence LAB meeting Brussels 31 March 1998
• Convergence between telecommunications and audiovisual: consequences for the rules governing the information market 
  LAB meeting Brussels 30 April 1996

European Union

• Results of the Public Consultation on the Convergence Green Paper: Communication [Com(1999)108] to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions
• Green Paper on the convergence of the telecommunications, media and information technology sectors, and the implications for regulation - Towards an Information Society approach COM(97)623
• Europe's Way to the Information Society - An Action Plan 
  A very comprehensive list by subject-matter of European Union actions

EU legislative proposals

• Cable Review
  • Commission adopts Cable directive - a major step towards competition in the local loop (RAPID).
  • Commission communication concerning the review under competition rules of the joint provision of telecommunications and cable TV networks by a single operator and the abolition of restrictions on the provision of cable TV capacity over telecommunications
  • Draft Commission Directive amending Directive 90/388/EEC with regard to its effective Application in a multimedia Environment, by legally separating the provision of telecommunications and cable tv Networks owned by a single Operator
• Conditional access services: Commission proposes Directive on legal protection
  • Draft directive FR

EU discussion documents

• Regulatory transparency in the Internal Market for Information Society services Green Paper on the Legal Protection of Encrypted Services in the Internal Market, March 1996
  • Press release [DE] [FR] 
    Table of Contents | Full text (Word for Windows, 153.849 bytes)

National legislation and discussion documents

EU member states

• Germany - Telecommunications Act
• UK - Beyond the telephone, the television and the PC - III Culture, Media and Sport Committee inquiry into audio-visual communications and the regulation of broadcasting - OFTEL’s Second Submission

United States

• Telecommunications Act of 1996

Position papers

• Public Policy Issues Arising from Telecommunication and Audiovisual ConvergenceKPMG (Summary report)
  available in: PDF or WinWord format
• Convergence and Trans-European Networks: some policy problems 
  Prof. Jean-Claude Burgelman