Voteringsresultatet innebär också en tydlig signal till parlamentets industriutskott, där frågan behandlas senare under månaden, om vilka prioriteringar som är viktigast för att skapa en lösning som gynnar konsumenternas valfrihet och marknadsaktörernas möjligheter till att utveckla och förbättra nya digitala tjänster.
Läs yttrandet som det antogs nedan:
The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs calls on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following suggestions in its motion for a resolution:
1. Notes that most Member States today are lagging behind other developed countries regarding investment in new generation communication infrastructures, and stresses that achieving leadership in broadband and Internet development is crucial for the competitiveness and cohesion of Europe in the international arena, especially as regards the development of interactive digital platforms and the provision of new services such as e-trade, e-health, e-learning and e-government services;
2. Underlines that the digital dividend provides Europe with unique opportunities to develop new services such as mobile television and wireless internet access and to remain a world leader in mobile multimedia technologies whilst bridging the digital divide, providing new opportunities for citizens, services, media and cultural diversity throughout the European Union;
3. Notes that technological convergence is a reality, offering traditional services new means and opportunities; emphasises that access to the parts of the spectrum that have previously been reserved for broadcasting can enable the emergence of new services provided that the spectrum is managed as efficiently and effectively as possible in order to avoid interference with the delivery of high-quality digital broadcasting programmes;
4. Observes that an efficient allocation of the digital dividend may be achieved without hampering any of the players that currently hold spectrum licenses in the UHF band, and that the continuation and expansion of current broadcasting services can be effectively achieved, at the same time securing that new mobile multimedia and broadband wireless access technologies are allocated substantial spectrum resources in the UHF band to bring new interactive services to European citizens;
5. Is convinced that new multi-play packages, containing innovative technologies and services, may soon be offered due to increased technological convergence, and at the same time observes that the emergence of these offers crucially depends on the availability of valuable spectrum as well as of new interactive technologies enabling seamless interoperability, connectivity and coverage, such as mobile multimedia technologies and broadband wireless access technologies;
6. Underlines that the digital dividend provides a unique opportunity for Europe to develop its role as world leader in mobile multimedia technologies and at the same time bridge the digital divide with an increased flow of information, knowledge and services connecting all European citizens with each other and providing new opportunities for media, culture and diversity in all areas of the territory of the European Union;
7. Supports efforts for a coordinated approach to the use of the spectrum in order to ensure the optimal use of the digital dividend, allowing broadcasters to continue and further develop their current services enabling other new users to benefit from the digital dividend in accordance with international agreements and national policy priorities;
8. Stresses the strategic importance of an environment in the European Union where room for innovation, new technologies, new services and new entrants are guaranteed in order to enhance European competitiveness and cohesion; underlines that it is crucial to give end users freedom of choice as regards products and services in order to achieve the dynamic development of markets and technologies in the European Union;
9. Stresses that Europe must benefit from such a unique opportunity as soon as possible if it wants to achieve world leadership in new interactive digital platforms and realise the ’information society for all’, as envisaged in the i2010 strategy, and that such need may require active cooperation between Member States to overcome current obstacles existing at national level in the efficient (re)allocation of the digital dividend;
10. Emphasises the benefits of Member States releasing their digital dividends as quickly as possible in order to enable European citizens and consumers to take advantage of new, innovative and competitive services; notes, in particular, that some countries have already switched to digital broadcasting and/or identified their digital dividend;
11. Underlines that Member States may consider technology-neutral auctions for the purpose of allocating frequencies that are liberated because of the digital dividend and making those frequencies tradable; considers, however, that this procedure should be in full compliance with ITU regulations, national frequency planning and national policy objectives in order to avoid harmful interference between provided services; warns of spectrum fragmentation which leads to the sub-optimal use of scarce resources; calls on the Commission to ensure that a future coordinated spectrum plan will not create new barriers to future innovation;
12. Stresses that the digital dividend provides new opportunities for the national audiovisual and media policy objectives; is therefore convinced that decisions on digital dividend management should promote general interest objectives linked to audiovisual and media policies such as freedom of expression, media pluralism and cultural and linguistic diversity;
13. Calls for close cooperation among Member States to achieve an efficient, open and competitive internal market by identifying common spectrum bands for the development of new pan-European services and for securing sufficient scale for the deployment of new network technologies;
14. Considers that in cases of auctions for the purpose of allocating frequencies, the Member States should adopt a common approach as regards the conditions and modalities of the auctions and the allocation of the generated resources; calls on the Commission to present guidelines along these lines.