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The President of the Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des postes (Arcep –French Electronic and Postal Communications Regulation Authority) presents his vision of Telecommunications Regulation in favour of Network Neutrality.

The European Commission, sensing potential anticompetitive behaviour in the pharmaceutical sector, conducted an inquiry into this sector, and adopted its final report on the matter on July 8th 2009. The Commission’s suspicion was that anticompetitive behaviours could be slowing down the entry of generic drugs into national markets, whereas the burden of drug spending on public finances and public health policy make rapid generic entry an important issue. The Commission concluded that delays are due in part to pharmaceutical companies’ behaviour, especially as concerns the use they make of their intellectual property rights. However, on the other hand, one may also sustain that the strategic use of an acquired legal right is no less than legitimate, and that public health policy is a matter for national regulation. Indeed, it is for Member States, rather than European competition law, to determine the level of healthcare coverage that their society is financially willing to bear.

Net Neutrality first became news in the United States just after the year 2000. The issue arose when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took decisions regarding conflicts between Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and cable operators. The FCC's decisions focused on ensuring non discriminatory conditions for ISP's access to the Internet communications market using existing cable networks. These issues became the basis of the debate on Internet users' rights, namely their right to freely access the content and services of their choice. On September 25, 2005 the FCC published a policy statement recognizing these issues, and clearly defined four main principles for Network Neutrality. 

FRENCH

La Neutralité du Net : une perspective économique

La neutralité du Net apparu aux États-Unis au tout début des années 2000. Les problèmes ont surgi lorsque la "Federal Communications Commission -FCC" (Commission fédérale en charge des communications) a dû prendre des décisions concernant les conflits entre les fournisseurs d'accès Internet (ISP) et les opérateurs de réseaux cablés. Les décisions de la FCC étaient axées sur la garantie du caractère non discriminatoire des conditions d'accès des fournisseurs de services sur le marché des communications sur Internet via les réseaux câblés. Ces questions ont servi de base au débat sur les droits des utilisateurs d'Internet, à savoir leur droit d'accès aux contenus et aux services de leur choix. Le 25 Septembre 2005, la FCC a publié une déclaration de principe  reconnaissant ces questions, et clairement définie autour de quatre grands principes.

 

GERMAN

Die Netzneutralität: eine wirtschaftliche Perspektive

Die Netzneutralität ist in den Vereinigten Staaten im Beginn den Jahren 2000 entstanden. Die erste Problemen sind entstanden, als die Federal Communications Commission (FCC - die amerikanische Bundeskommunikationsbehörde) Entscheidungen über Widerstreite zwischen Internetdienstanbieter und Kabeloperatoren treffen sollte. Diese Entscheidungen bestanden darauf, dass die Internetdienstanbieter durch Kabelnetzwerke Zugang zum Markt ohne Benachteiligung erhalten. Diese Fragen haben zufolge die Diskussionen über den Zugang den Internetsverbrauchern zu bestimmten Inhalten und Diensten hervorgebracht. Am 25. September 2005 hat die FCC eine Grundsatzerklärung über diese Fragen veröffentlicht, und hat vier Hauptprinzipien für die Netzneutralität dargelegt.

 

GREEK

 

 

 

On May 28, 2010, the {Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des postes} (ARCEP — French postal and telecommunications regulatory authority) published a report it ordered from WIK Consult, which details the tangible and intangible benefits accruing to {La Poste} (The French postal service) as a result of its universal service obligation, which are to be included in calculating compensation provided to the universal service provider for its universal service obligations, in application of the European Union’s Third Postal Directive liberalizing the postal market in the European Union. This report is critical in tone, but {La Poste} takes issue with its methodology and conclusions.

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Provisions of the financial reform bill (Dodd Bill) currently being examined by the United States Congress would empower the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to implement limits on speculation on energy futures and derivatives, as well as to impose a much stricter declaratory and supervision regime for over-the-counter trades in futures and derivatives in general.