Amendment of the Dutch Media Act
3.9.2003
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2753/03
by Elly Plooij-van Gorsel (ELDR)
to the Commission
In May 2003 I put a question to the Commission (E-1945/03[1]) concerning the Netherlands government’s draft law amending the Media Act. The Netherlands government took the position that it was not necessary to amend the relay obligations (“must carry” rules), imposed on cable firms under the Media Act, to take account of Article 31 of the Universal Service Directive, which forms part of the new Community regulatory framework for electronic communications.
In its reply to my question, the Commission referred to a meeting it had held with the Netherlands government on 26 June 2003, at which possible problems relating to the transposition and implementation of the new regulatory framework were discussed.
The Commission also stated that it was not able to rule on the compatibility of the Dutch “must carry” rules with the new regulatory framework, because neither the draft law modifying the Media Act nor any other Dutch legislation transposing the new regulatory framework for electronic communications had at that point been notified to the Commission, and the new framework would not be entering into force until 25 July 2003.
- Has the Commission now considered the Dutch draft law amending the Media Act and other Dutch legislation transposing the new regulatory framework?
- Does the Commission consider that the Dutch “must carry” rules comply with the new regulatory framework, particularly Article 31 of the Universal Service Directive?
- If not, what measures does the Commission propose to take in this connection?
- [1] OJ C…
OJ C 783 E, 27/03/2004