EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PAVES WAY FOR A WIRELESS EU

Speaking after the European Parliament adopted her report today on radio spectrum policy,  Fiona said:

"Creating a more flexible approach to radio spectrum management is essential. European innovation in wireless technology will be held back unless more efficient use is made of spectrum. At the heart of this debate is the Lisbon agenda of growth and jobs."

Fiona Hall emphasised that changes to spectrum policy should take place within a clear legal framework to deal with problems such as interference, and that a strong political commitment needed to be made to supporting services of public and general interest.

But she added:

"It's important not to get this political commitment mixed up with the technical issue of how such services ought to be delivered.

It be a big mistake to ring-fence the frequencies currently used by broadcasting services by insisting on their exclusion from any new approach to spectrum management."

Ms Hall pointed out that using the radio frequencies freed up by the change from analogue to digital broadcasting, the "digital dividend", opened up new possibilities such as closing the gap between have and have-nots in the digital age by such services as broadband wireless internet to rural regions.

"It is important to open up the possibility of more flexible use across the whole of the radio spectrum, without ruling out certain frequencies"