At its Plenary
Session of 6 May 2009, the European Parliament adopted a number of amendments
negotiated with the Council to the Council's common position with a view to
securing adoption in second reading. The Commission accepts the European
Parliament's amendments to the common position as being in line with the
overall purpose and the general characteristics of the proposal.
These
amendments concern essentially:
- adaptation
of universal service to market and technological developments, including
allowing Member States to upgrade universal service obligations to
broadband services;
- strengthened
access to e-communications for disabled people, in particular via the
inclusion of terminal equipment in the scope of the Directive; increased
access to and choice of services for the disabled, strengthened right to
emergency services in the EU;
- improved
contract conditions and greater information to consumers on services,
including increased comparability of prices and greater power to the
NRAs on tariff information for consumers;
- information
to users on the most common uses of e-communications services to engage
in unlawful activities or to disseminate harmful content;
- strengthened
provisions on access to emergency services, including
inter alia a stronger obligation to pass caller location information to
the emergency authorities, improved citizens awareness of ‘112'
number; and introduction of comitology powers for the Commission on
access to '112' services;
- facilitating
citizens' access to 116 services, and comitology powers for the
Commission to ensure the effective implementation of 116 numbering
ranges;
- facilitation
of change of provider, including a time limit for number activation
after porting; reinforcement of NRAs' powers to monitor and enforce
porting; creation of comitology powers for the modernisation of porting
obligations;
- strengthened
obligation for Member States to review 'must carry' obligations;
- modernisation
and updating of legislation to technology and market developments,
streamlining of the provisions of the Directive (eg deletion of outdated
obligations, etc.);
- measures to
be taken by providers in order to safeguard the security of their
services;
- obligation
for providers of electronic communications services to notify security
breaches affecting personal data to authorities and (in some cases) to
subscribers or individuals concerned and introduction of comitology
powers for the Commission on the modalities of breach notifications;
- strengthened
provisions on protection against spyware and placing of cookies on
users' devices.