Communications Regulatory Authority

ears witness to the appreciation of AGCOM’s commitment at the international level,
and takes on specific importance in view of the discussion over the revision of the
regulatory framework for electronic communications, which should reach the decisionmaking
phase precisely in 2007.
Because of the responsibilities connected with the definition and execution of
the work programme and the resulting duties of coordination and monitoring of all the
thematic working and institutional representation groups, the ERG Presidency
(including the period of the Vice Presidency which, according to the “troika” system,
covers the semester preceding and that following the period of the presidency) also
entails a growing commitment by the personnel of AGCOM involved at the various
levels in the international activities, and implies an adequate preparation from the
organizational standpoint. For this purpose, AGCOM has already started up internal
organizational activities necessary for ensuring a profitable and efficient management of
its mandate.
Also with reference to the electronic communications sector, we must also
mention AGCOM’s participation in the various committees set up in the context of the
European regulatory framework, with the objective of aiding the European Commission
in dealing with specific matters. Also to be pointed out is a constant and qualified
participation, in coordination with the Ministry of Communications, for the matters of
its sphere of action, in the Communications Committee (COCOM) which, during the
period of reference, concentrated its work especially on the matters described below.
First of all, the COCOM was involved, pursuant to Article 22 of the framework
directive, in the procedure of verification and proposal of veto by the Commission, on
the market analyses notified by the Member States pursuant to Article 7, paragraph 4, of
the framework directive (so-called “second phase”).
The necessity to implement measures in favour of disabled users was expressed,
and a working subgroup (Incom) was set up to analyze the critical profiles regarding the
implementation of the Community regulations in the various Member States.
Currently being discussed is the decision plan on the reservation of a series of
numbers beginning with “116” for the harmonized supply of pan-European services of
public utility; moreover, the discussion over the experimentation, in the Member States,
of services supplied over the electrical power lines (powerline communications) and the
problems connected with interferences that occur in some of them, continues within the
COCOM.
As for the regulation of the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), the delegations
taking part in the COCOM were called upon the express, by means of answers to a
questionnaire prepared by the European Commission, their position with regard to the
regulation of this electronic communication system.
Lastly, also within the framework of the COCOM, the European Commission
started up the discussion over the revision of the regulatory framework for electronic
communications. Within the COCOM, the discussion mainly developed with regard to
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