Companies unite against EU's broadcast laws

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By John Oates • Get more from this author

Posted in Mobile, 19th April 2006 08:26 GMT

A group of media and technology companies are complaining to the European Union that proposals to extend traditional broadcast regulations to new formats like mobile phones will damage the industry before it's got off the ground.

Audiovisualstakeholders.org includes BT, Channel 4, Cisco, Homechoice, Intellect, ISPA, ITV, NTL, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Yahoo!. The companies are concerned that changes to the current Television without Frontiers Directive will harm the industry.

They support the objectives of the Directive to protect consumers from harmful content but say "the current proposal will in fact:

deter new and existing new media players from the market and divert investment and innovation away from the EU

not protect consumers as effectively as possible, by undermining existing legislation and self-regulatory schemes, which already operate successfully in this area. "

The Audiovisual Media Services Directive is on its way through the European Parliament

Instead the group calls for "more widespread liberalisation of its advertising provisions" and self-regulation.