CONSEQUENCES OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE

BEREC communication on the technical issues regarding the implementation of the EU sanctions

On 11 March BEREC provided further assistance to the National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) on the technical issues that may arise for the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the implementation of the Regulation 2022/350 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia's actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (the Regulation).

BEREC stated that the obligations to block Russia Today and Sputnik are to be read in a broad manner and that all websites belonging to the entities mentioned in the Annex XV of the Regulation are covered including the provision of access to them by the ISPs. Therefore, BEREC considers that all domains incl. subdomains (such as www.rt.com, francais.rt.com, *.sputniknews.com, sputniknewslv.com, sputniknews.gr, sputniknews.cn, etc.) related to the entities mentioned in the Annex XV fall under this exception.

More information can be found here.     

ecta, BEREC, the EC & others' meeting on the EU sanctions

On 7 March ecta Director General Luc Hindryckx and ecta Director of Competition and Regulation Pinar Serdengecti participated in a meeting with BEREC, the European Commission (DG Connect), GSMA, ETNO, MVNOE and EURISPA concerning the actions taken in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The main objective of the meeting were to discuss:

• Issues regarding the implementation of the EU sanctions (i.e. blocking Russia Today and Sputnik).
• Issues on roaming in support of the Ukrainian end-users in Europe.
• Next steps.

ecta highlighted the need of organizing regular follow-up meetings with the same participants which is fundamental to closely monitor the evolution of the issues highlighted during the meeting (competent authorities and dynamic URL lists) and the new ones that emerged as a result of the discussions (spectrum, economic package, etc.).

Next steps:

(*) BEREC will compile a list of National Authorities competent for enforcing sanctions and will establish a common or core list of URLs to be blocked, reflecting the entities subject to EU sanctions.

(*) BEREC will also voluntarily disseminate best practices to ensure communications with Ukraine and to help refugees.

BEREC

50th BEREC plenary meeting

BEREC will hold an online public debriefing to present the outcomes of the 50th BEREC plenary meeting. At the public debriefing, the speakers will focus on the following topics:

• BEREC’s activities related to the situation in Ukraine.
• Updating the BEREC Guidelines on the implementation of the Open Internet Regulation.
• The regulatory treatment for fixed and mobile backhaul.
• The assessment of BEREC’s contribution to limiting the digital sector’s impact on the environment.
• BEREC’s response to the public consultation on the European Commission’s draft revised Guidelines on State aid for broadband networks.

Date of the event: 16 March 2022 at 14:00 CET.

The stakeholders may register for the BEREC public debriefing and submit their questions in advance through the registration form which can be found here.

More complex or detailed questions can be sent in advance by email.

Deadline for submitting more complex/detailed questions: 15 March 2022, COB.

BEREC's 10th Stakeholder Forum

During the upcoming BEREC Stakeholder Forum the BEREC Chair and Vice-Chairs will engage with stakeholders to gather early inputs on the BEREC Work Programme for 2023.

The stakeholders can register here.

Date of the event: 23 March 2022.

CYBERSECURITY

EU telecom ministers meeting

On 8 and 9 March the 27 EU ministers in charge of the digital affairs and electronic communications met for an informal meeting during which the ministers called on BEREC and ENISA to identify the risks threatening the European communications networks and infrastructure and to formulate recommendations on how to strengthen their resilience.

The Ministers also requested that Member States’ cybersecurity authorities step up their cooperation at operational level and called on the European Commission to firm up the Cyber Resilience Act. In addition to that, the ministers approved the creation of a cybersecurity emergency response fund.

The press release can be found here.

ENISA's report on cyber threats in the telecom sector

On 10 March ENISA published a report on how to ensure effective consumer outreach in relation to cyber threats in the telecommunications sector.

More information can be found here.

INVESTEU

On 7 March the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) signed the Guarantee Agreement on a European Union budget guarantee of €19.65 billion to support investment projects across Europe under the InvestEU programme.

Investments under the InvestEU programme will focus on four policy areas: sustainable infrastructure; research, innovation and digitisation; small and medium-sized businesses; and social investment and skills.

As regards to the innovation and digitalisation area, InvestEU will support investments in digital infrastructures, technologies, and digital skills. This includes investments in better connectivity, super-computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud, data, the Internet of Things, semiconductors, including microprocessors, data technologies, 5G and quantum technologies, digital transformation of ecosystems and businesses, as well as innovative media content and technologies.

The press release can be found here.