Radio Spectrum Policy Programme
The Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP) was a five year programme which set out regulatory requirements, goals and priorities of the European Union relating to the radio spectrum. It was first adopted 14 March 2012. It standardised the frequencies that different types of communication could use and also set out goals as to when the standardisation should be complete. A modified version was adapted into a regulation, but subsequently removed. The modified version was then used as a basis for the section on the radio spectrum in the European Electronic Communications Code.
History
The programme was adopted by the European Council and the European Parliament 14 March 2012.[1][2][3][4] The first version was a voluntary programme which gave some goals for member states to meet, which aimed to standardise the assignment of the radio spectrum across the EU.[3][5]
The European Commission initiated three different legislative reviews of the programme after its introduction, with the third review proposing that the commission instead adopt the programme into regulation. This was because member states did not meet the voluntarily goals, and adapting it into a regulation would mean that once it was adopted it would be enforceable in member states without national legislation. In 2013, the commission modified the programme and added the new version as legislation to a regulatory proposal.[5] The European Parliament supported the legislation, however, member states in the European Council did not agree with the legislation due to its "intrusiveness into national prerogatives". The legislation then was removed by the council from the regulatory proposal. In 2016, the European Electronic Communications Code was created, which incorporated a section on the radio spectrum. The section was mostly based on the modified 2013 programme. The code was implemented, along with this section, in 2018.[6]
Aims of the programme
Some of the goals of the programme included switching to digital broadcasting from analogue and making use of the freed radio spectrum space for wireless communication.[7] The proposed legislation in 2013 aimed to phase out national differences in the allocation of the radio spectrum.[5]
References
- ^ "Radio Spectrum Policy Programme: the roadmap for a wireless Europe". Digital Single Market - European Commission. June 26, 2014.
- ^ "Ofcom and EU spectrum policy". Ofcom. September 14, 2016.
- ^ a b "Setting the frequency: Europe adopts radio spectrum policy programme | Lexology". www.lexology.com.
- ^ Massaro 2019, p. 177-178.
- ^ a b c Massaro 2019, p. 178.
- ^ Massaro 2019, p. 179.
- ^ "EU to open radio frequencies to wireless broadband". September 20, 2010.
Works cited
- Massaro, Maria (2019). "Between Integration and Protection of National Sovereignty in the European Union's Radio Spectrum Policy: Uncovering Potential Research Avenues". Journal of Information Policy. 9. Penn State University Press. doi:10.5325/jinfopoli.9.2019.0158.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)