---

Telecommunications Council

My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Karen Bradley) has made the following Statement:

The Telecommunications Council will take place in Brussels on 2nd December 2016. I will represent the UK at this Council. Below are the agenda items and the positions I intend to adopt.

The first item is a policy debate on the two legislative instruments and two communications that form the just published EU Commission’s Connectivity package - the European Electronic Communications Code (First reading - EM 12252/16) and Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (First reading - EM12257/16) and "5G for Europe : An Action Plan" (EM12279/16) and "Connectivity for a Competitive Digital Single Market - Towards a European Gigabit Society" (EM12364/16). My intervention will confirm that the UK supports the plan for a Gigabit Society and emphasise the importance of the Connectivity Package in stimulating investment by the private sector in fibre-based networks and 5G. I will also set out the UK’s other priorities for the Electronic Communications Code, including respecting Member States’ competence and retaining Member States’ discretion over consumer protection and funding of the Universal Service Obligation. The Council will then be invited to adopt a General approach on Amending Regulation (EU) No 531/2012 as regards rules for wholesale roaming markets (First reading - EM). We will agree to the adoption of this general approach. The Council will then be provided with an update from the Slovak Presidency on the Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on cross-border parcel delivery services (First reading - EM9706/16). We do not expect a debate on this item and I do not intend to intervene. Finally, Member States will be invited to adopt a partial general approach on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations as regards the promotion of Internet connectivity in local communities (First reading - EM 12259/16). The UK intends to agree to the adoption of this partial approach. This will be followed by three items under AOB led by the Commission, the first being on fair use policy in the context of roaming services, followed by information on Digital Single Market initiatives and finally under AOB, current Internet Governance issues. We do not currently intend to intervene on any of these items. Finally, the Maltese delegation will inform the Council of their priorities for their forthcoming Presidency before Council adjourns until the next meeting in Q2 2017.