Leaked German government document calls for softer telecoms rules

Leaked German government document calls for softer telecoms rules – EurActiv.com: "Smaller companies will likely be alarmed by the German government’s demands for the EU reform—they argue regulation is needed for them to compete.

The German position paper says there could be “a reduction of the scope and complexity of the telecoms regulation” that would give a boost to national regulators.

It also calls for an “investment incentive by forgoing ex-ante regulation and instead using the instrument of sector-specific ex-post regulation”.

 Deutsche Telekom took a similar position in its response to the European Commission’s public consultation on the telecoms review, which closed in December.

“Substitute the heavy handed, time consuming and intrusive regulatory ex-ante approvals by a light handed regulatory oversight by the NRA [national regulatory authority],” the company’s response read.

A spokesperson for Deutsche Telekom did not respond to a request for comment.

 One source who represents competitors in the German telecoms market said, “We have a hard time to believe that this represents the German government’s official position. It would rather appear as if Deutsche Telekom chose to speak with the government’s voice to make its agenda more appealing.”" 'via Blog this'