More than a decade has passed since the liberalization of telecommunications in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, the regulator is still mandating access to local access networks, and the incumbent and cable operators have been dragging their feet on upgrading their networks to fiber-based next...

Water is an exhaustible natural resource. Access to clean, safe and affordable water must be managed nowadays not only to avoid any unnecessary use of water, but also allow for continuous supply of such an important factor of public well-being. In recent years, water-related activities acquired...

Distribution of electricity constitutes an essential link in the energy sector value chain for which Distribution System Operators (DSOs) bear the responsibility. While executing that role, DSOs are expected to take into consideration public values, such as the availability, affordability and...

The debate on network neutrality concerns the ways in which Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can manage the traffic on their network, as gatekeepers of information between content providers and end-users on the Internet. The European institutions have chosen not to regulate network management...

This paper analyses and discusses the regulation of the DNS, i.e. the system of Internet unique identifiers. There is a widespread belief that this industry needs a regulator, be it a private one in which all stakeholders could be represented, or rather a public international one in which all...

Access to the network is one of the key tools used by regulators to stimulate competition in network industries. For instance, incumbents in the telecommunications sector, in the European Union and elsewhere, are typically mandated to grant access to their network to their rivals. Third-party...

This paper discusses what institutional model is best able to address identified deficiencies in enforcement of the Electronic Communications Framework, ie lack of consistency and independence of NRAs. An examination of the three paradigm models otherwise available in EC law reveals that the...

This paper seeks to assess exactly where and how the network neutrality discussion taking place in the United States is relevant in the EU context, and thus where Europeans should be concerned. Secondly, where there is a concern, it looks to EC law to ascertain whether it already provides a...

Over the past three decades, Member States have created a variety of regulatory authorities, generally in response to the adoption of liberalization directives by the European Union. Because of the substantial power they enjoy and the importance of their tasks, it is widely recognized that it is...

Services of general interest (SGI) are a key component of the EU economy, accounting for 26% of GDP and 30% of employment within the EU. They cover economic and noneconomic activities alike. They are to be distinguished from services of general economic interest (SGEI), which are economic...