Commission Decision

of 16 May 2007

on harmonised availability of information regarding spectrum use within the Community

(notified under document number C(2007) 2085)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/344/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Decision No 676/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on a regulatory framework for radio spectrum policy in the European Community (Radio Spectrum Decision) [1], and in particular Article 4(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Decision No 676/2002/EC (Radio Spectrum Decision) requires Member States to ensure that their national radio frequency allocation table and information on rights, conditions, procedures, charges and fees concerning the use of radio spectrum, shall be published if relevant in order to meet the aim set out in Article 1 of that Decision. They shall keep this information up to date and shall take measures to develop appropriate databases in order to make such information available to the public, where applicable in accordance with the relevant harmonisation measures taken under Article 4 of that Decision.

(2) A study undertaken on behalf of the Commission [2] found that, despite previous efforts, information on the use of spectrum is still made publicly available by Member States with a varying amount of detail, in different formats and with differences in ease of access and updating intervals. Such differences may have an effect on doing business, on planning investments and on decision-making in the context of an internal market for products and services, as well as manufacturing. Information on spectrum usage conditions can further facilitate the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and indirectly support the sustainable growth of the electronic communications industry in general.

(3) The availability of appropriate information is essential in the context of better regulation, since the removal of unnecessary restrictive measures and the introduction of trading of rights to use frequencies require clear, reliable and up-to-date information regarding the actual use.

(4) A single information point would ensure an easy access and user-friendly presentation of spectrum information throughout the Community. To be efficient, such information should be presented in a harmonised format with the same content for all Member States and it should be transferable from national databases using modern automatic upload facilities that avoid the need for additional human resources to feed the single information point with national data.

(5) There is substantial agreement by Member States and industry participants for using the system set up by the European Radiocommunications Office (ERO) [3]. The ERO Frequency Information System (EFIS) is publicly available on the Internet and allows the search for and comparison of official spectrum information within Europe, if such information is uploaded by national administrations. That system should be used by all Member States.

(6) The Commission issued a Mandate dated 8 December 2005 to the CEPT on the use of EFIS for publication and access to spectrum information within the Community. CEPT presented the final results of this mandate, which demonstrate the feasibility to use EFIS as a common information portal in the European Community, in accordance with the objectives contained in the mandate. The Radio Spectrum Committee accepted the final report of the CEPT on 5 October 2006 and confirmed the objectives listed in the Mandate. The results of the mandate should be made applicable in the Community.

(7) A European spectrum information portal should not replace national spectrum databases but be a complementary portal that adds value through the provision of a single information point with search and compare facilities at the European level, based on information provided in accordance with a common format and level detail.

(8) Efforts to harmonise the presentation of radio interface specifications have been undertaken by the Telecommunications Conformity Assessment and Market Surveillance Committee (TCAM) established by Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity [4] (R & TTE Directive). These conditions a