2024-04-25 14:24:07
89 votes in the EP the law for 4 days
The European Parliament has extended until 2032 the existing price caps for calls within the EU, which were due to expire in May 2024. This came after MEPs and the Belgian council presidency reached an agreement on the Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA) on Tuesday. .
The law will guarantee European citizens cheap calls, texts and internet services from anywhere in the bloc and will reduce the costs of telecoms to deploy ultra-fast networks. The initiative aims for Europeans to be
protected by possibly appreciation of the conversations
in the union given the expiring in May agreement on pan-European roaming with the telecoms.
The law on gigabit infrastructure was passed by an overwhelming majority – 594 votes to just 7 against – during the last plenary session in Strasbourg before the June elections, whose agenda is extremely intense. Within four days, MEPs have to vote on a total of 89 legislative acts.
The legislation, which has already been agreed with the EU Council, will reduce the costs of deploying gigabit networks that can download data at speeds of 1 gigabit per second. It is designed to stimulate investment in digital infrastructure, promote economic growth and ensure that European businesses maintain a competitive edge in global innovation.
“This is the end of communication barriers. Calling from and to anywhere in Europe will be hassle-free, according to your domestic charges,” said Romanian MEP Alin Mituta. And he added that this legislation will push EU countries forward in the digital race. He said the bloc now has a common approach to providing access to high-speed internet – bridging the connectivity gap between rural and remote areas and their urban counterparts.
Until now, the use of roaming services throughout the European Union, which guaranteed us low prices, was supposed to expire on May 14. And the official adoption of the text by the EU Council will take place on April 29 during the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. In order to prevent the expiration of the agreement, the legislators changed the deadline for the entry into force of the text – from 20 days after publication in the “Official Journal of the EU”, the MEPs reduced it to 3 days.
“The legislation outlines a political path towards the abolition of end-user charges for calls and texts within the EU”, the press service of the EP indicated.
The text says that by 2029 the prices retail no must be differ
based on whether the calls originate or terminate in different Member States.
The law will streamline, reduce costs and speed up administrative procedures for issuing permits, reduce bureaucratic obstacles for operators and national administrations, thus facilitating a smoother and faster network rollout.
During negotiations with the council on the bill, MEPs ensured the principle of “tacit approval”, according to which permission to install infrastructure will be granted automatically if no response is received from the administrative body within four months.