European Law and Regulation of Mobile Net Neutrality

Mobile is a rapidly growing and potentially major element of the future Internet, and its environment cannot be sensibly considered in isolation from fixed networks [2]. A note on terminology: Europe uses the term Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) while the United States uses 'wireless' Internet Service Providers (ISPs) [3]. 'Wireless' is somewhat more open in the United States. In Europe, mobile has always made special pleading for forms of self-regulation, as we will see. The article introduces mobile broadband, then considers net neutrality in the fixed environment including the new laws passed in November 2009 in the European Parliament, before considering the mobile net neutrality debate, the degree of price control regulation exerted on European mobiles and the MNOs' vigorous rear-guard anti-regulation defence. Finally, I look at the effects of this regulatory asymmetry and whether MNO calls for mobile to be treated differently from other ISPs can be justified. I conclude by examining what the effect of price and content control on mobile is likely to be for incentives for fixed ISPs and produce a result that I describe as the 'fixed' strategy

Does the growth of mobile markets cause the demise of fixed networks? Evidence from the European Union

The increasing usage of mobile communication and the declining demand for fixed line telephony in Europe make the analysis of substitutional effects between fixed and mobile networks a key aspect for future telecommunication regulation. Using a unique dataset which contains information on all 27 European Union members from 2003 to 2009, we analyze substitutability between fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Europe by applying dynamic panel data techniques. We find strong empirical evidence for substitution from fixed to cellular networks throughout Europe. In addition, the article reveals resulting policy implications.Dynamic Panel Model,Fix-Mobile Substitution,Telecommunication Markets

Does the growth of mobile markets cause the demise of fixed networks? Evidence from the European Union

The increasing usage of mobile communication and the declining demand for fixed line telephony in Europe make the analysis of substitutional effects between fixed and mobile networks a key aspect for future telecommunication regulation. Using a unique dataset which contains information on all 27 European Union members from 2003 to 2009, we analyze substitutability between fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Europe by applying dynamic panel data techniques. We find strong empirical evidence for substitution from fixed to cellular networks throughout Europe. In addition, the article reveals resulting policy implications. --dynamic panel model,fixed-mobile substitution,telecommunication markets

The Next Generation of Mobile Source Regulation

In the U.S. we have reached the point where further reductions in per-mile emissions from individual mobile sources of criteria pollutants will be both tiny and expensive. In addition, as population grows, total mobile source emissions in developed countries are likely to increase as our ability to engineer reductions on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis reaches its technological limit and is overwhelmed by the rising numbers of miles driven. Mobile source emissions world-wide will climb as greater wealth in the developing world fuels the demand for mobility. This article examines the demand for transportation and the regulation of transportation fuels and then assesses the possible steps for future regulation. As to pollutants where the issue is total loading in the atmosphere (e.g., CO2), the author argues that it will be cheaper and more effective to buy offsets in the developing world than to attempt to reduce emissions only within the developed world. The author further argues for incentives to induce changes in individual driver behavior in place of command and control measures and for changing anti-trust regulation to allow for tighter integration of fuels and engines to reduce mobile source emissions. Even with these measures, however, the author argues that stationary source regulation is going to have to pick up a larger portion of future gains in air quality

The Next Generation of Mobile Source Regulation

In the U.S. we have reached the point where further reductions in per-mile emissions from individual mobile sources of criteria pollutants will be both tiny and expensive. In addition, as population grows, total mobile source emissions in developed countries are likely to increase as our ability to engineer reductions on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis reaches its technological limit and is overwhelmed by the rising numbers of miles driven. Mobile source emissions world-wide will climb as greater wealth in the developing world fuels the demand for mobility. This article examines the demand for transportation and the regulation of transportation fuels and then assesses the possible steps for future regulation. As to pollutants where the issue is total loading in the atmosphere (e.g., CO2), the author argues that it will be cheaper and more effective to buy offsets in the developing world than to attempt to reduce emissions only within the developed world. The author further argues for incentives to induce changes in individual driver behavior in place of command and control measures and for changing anti-trust regulation to allow for tighter integration of fuels and engines to reduce mobile source emissions. Even with these measures, however, the author argues that stationary source regulation is going to have to pick up a larger portion of future gains in air quality

A Structural Solution to Roaming in Europe

This paper suggests that international roaming markets suffer from structural flaws in the way that roaming agreements are established in Europe. The initial roaming interventions by the European Commission in 2007 have been very welfare enhancing and the transfer of producer surplus to consumers has brought significant benefits to end users. Nevertheless, there are clear opportunity costs of maintaining and/or extending the current roaming Regulation. The price for wholesale roaming services in a given country is driven principally by the amount of traffic that an operator is willing to send back to the country requesting a price offer and not on the basis of the roaming services requested. The paper suggests that by breaking the link between the prices offered in one country and the volume of returned traffic will enable the wholesale market for international roaming to operate competitively. It is further suggested that retail price regulation is unwarranted when the wholesale market can operate competitively irrespective of the issue of the retail elasticity of demand for these services. Preliminary, suggestions are put forward as to how policy makers could transition from the current regime to a future market based regime by putting a number of required enablers in place.Roaming regulation, mobile telephony, European single market

Governance of Digitalization in Europe A contribution to the Exploration Shaping Digital Policy - Towards a Fair Digital Society? BertelsmannStiftung Study

Digital policy is a unique policy area. As a cross-cutting policy issue, it has an impact not only on individual areas of regulation but on almost all other policy areas as well. Aspects of digital policy such as data regimes, cybersecurity and standardization issues are relevant not only to the the future of the internet or 5G mobile communications infrastructure, but to other areas of our lives to which they are closely linked, which range from automated driving to digital assistance systems in education and healthcare to the digitalization of sectors such as agriculture and construction. Nevertheless, regulation efforts have thus far been primarily sector-specific and national in their scope. With a few exceptions, such as the EU’s controversial General Data Protection Regulation, there are few digital policy frameworks in place for Europe that defines and integrates basic principles for broad application. Instead, we face a situation in which a variety of approaches stand side by side, at times complementing each other but also – all too often – competing with each other in ways that foster inconsistencies. The development of Europe’s 5G infrastructure is illustrative of this state of affairs. Despite the presence of what were originally uniform objectives across Europe, 28 nationally distinct tendering procedures with different requirements have since emerged. As a result, we must now find ways to manage the problems associated with having three or more networks per country, high costs, a difficult debate over security and the threat of dependency on non-EU providers

IEC Fusor Mobile Shielding Unit

The VCU Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) Fusor Senior Design Project provides Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a mobile fusor complete with the necessary shielding to protect operators as well as the general public from potentially hazardous radiation. The VCU IEC fusor is a Farnsworth-Hirsch type reactor, and consists of five basic components; a high voltage power supply, vacuum system, gas regulation system, primary reactor vessel assembly, and radiation shielding. These components were serviced and reassembled on a customized mobile cart. In addition to these components, a specimen holder and viewing monitor were added to the design. The specimen holder provides a practical method for neutron activation experiments, while the viewing monitor allows for safer visualization and operation of the fusor. An engineered cart provides the operator easy transportation of the shielding, fusor, and necessary components. The shielding consists of layers of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Borated Polyethylene (BPE), and lead to minimize radiation dose exposure to limits acceptable by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). A camera inside the shielding is connected to a display monitor in order to provide a visual depiction of the deuterium ionization and fusion process. This allows operators and audiences to view the internal workings of the fusor from a safe distance. Lastly, an operator’s manual has been drafted to assist future operators with running the fusor. With these additions to the existing design, the fusor assembly serves as a vital asset for researchers, as well as an educational tool for students and teachers.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1199/thumbnail.jp

The Role of Mobile Health Technologies in Allergy Care:an EAACI Position Paper

Mobile health (mHealth) uses mobile communication devices such as smartphones and tablet computers to support and improve health-related services, data and information flow, patient self-management, surveillance, and disease management from the moment of first diagnosis to an optimized treatment. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology created a task force to assess the state of the art and future potential of mHealth in allergology. The task force endorsed the "Be He@lthy, Be Mobile" WHO initiative and debated the quality, usability, efficiency, advantages, limitations, and risks of mobile solutions for allergic diseases. The results are summarized in this position paper, analyzing also the regulatory background with regard to the "General Data Protection Regulation" and Medical Directives of the European Community. The task force assessed the design, user engagement, content, potential of inducing behavioral change, credibility/accountability, and privacy policies of mHealth products. The perspectives of healthcare professionals and allergic patients are discussed, underlining the need of thorough investigation for an effective design of mHealth technologies as auxiliary tools to improve quality of care. Within the context of precision medicine, these could facilitate the change in perspective from clinician- to patient-centered care. The current and future potential of mHealth is then examined for specific areas of allergology, including allergic rhinitis, aerobiology, allergen immunotherapy, asthma, dermatological diseases, food allergies, anaphylaxis, insect venom, and drug allergy. The impact of mobile technologies and associated big data sets are outlined. Facts and recommendations for future mHealth initiatives within EAACI are listed