European FCC?...Not Yet
Twenty-seven European national telecommunication regulators are in disagreement over whether to move to a single European regulating body. Regulators were under the direction to either propose the creation of a single regulating body by Friday February 16, 2007, or to grant power to the current European Union (EU) executive.
The conflict exists due to many nations having different regulations and policies currently, as well as the different understanding of current EU regulations. The argument from the EU commission is that different application of rules, as well as strong associations between national providers and their own regulatory bodies, is making business difficult across Europe.
Although currently disagreeing on moving toward one regulating body, the national regulators did stress their willingness to develop a stronger “network of independent regulators.” The EU Telecommunications Minister stated she would push to assume some of the powers of the national regulators since a unified solution was not reached.
Sources:
Jolis, Anne. (2007, February 17). Europe telecom officials balk at a tie-up. The Wall Street Journal, p. A2.
Paul Meller. (2007, February 5). EU telecom regulators face deadline. NetworkWorld. Retrieved February 18, 2007, from http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/020507-eu-telecom-regulators-face.html