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Week ending October 27, 2007

egta - Environment and air quality deserve better solutions than overly simplistic car advertising restrictions - October 24, 2007

from Bertrand Cazes/egta

egta, the association of television and radio sales houses, expresses very strong concerns and disappointments after the European Parliament’s vote on a “strategy to reduce CO2 emission levels from cars and light commercial vehicles”.

“Whereas all European citizens acknowledge that reducing CO2 emission levels will require considerable efforts and structural reforms to accompany these changes in their habits and lifestyles, Members of the European Parliament responded to this challenge with a call for restrictions on car advertising. Not only is this overly simplistic but it is misleading to pretend that it could have an impact on CO2 emission levels. I think our environment and air quality deserve better solutions” declared Michel Grégoire, egta Secretary General, just after the vote.

Drawing an analogy between cars and tobacco products, imposing warnings and a long list of minute technical information to be displayed on every car advertisements are disgraceful and unworkable solutions that would only serve to harm Europe’s audiovisual sector.

egta acknowledges that media and advertising have an important role to play in encouraging sustainable behaviours and consumption. “I understand that the advertising industry collectively and most importantly car manufacturers have to do more on these issues” added Michel Grégoire.

egta is ready to engage in this debate with all advertising stakeholders on the one hand, to reinforce codes of conducts and self-regulatory mechanisms, and with the European Commission, on the other hand, to work on the availability of consumer information on fuel economy in marketing communications.

EPC - statement by Angela Mills Wade on today's EP vote on CO2 emissions from passenger cars and light commercial vehicles - October 24, 2007

from Heidi Lambert for EPC

Today the Members of the European Parliament voted for new European Legislation to mandate binding rules on car advertising across the press, TV, radio and internet. Such rules would include a requirement for 20% of advertising space to be given over to detailed information about fuel economy and CO2 emissions.

Angela Mills Wade, Executive Director of the European Publishers Council, stated that: “Today’s vote is extremely concerning. The EP has completely failed to take into account the impact on the media of that draconian proposals. Advertising revenues are essential to the proper functioning of the private media – they fund T V programmes, the press, radio and internet content. It is disappointing that the MEPS have not realised that the media doesn’t operate in a legal vacuum. We already have rules in place to control misleading claims as well as detailed self-regulatory guidelines on how to handle environmental issues. Before such proposals are turned into a draft directive, the European Publishers Council will call on the European Commission to provide an economic Impact Assessment. This will evaluate the commercial damage caused by any reduction in advertising from this sector, as a result of rules which lead to marketing budgets moving away form media advertising”.

Below you will find the wording that was adopted today by the European Parliament:

Advertising and labelling

36. Having no confidence in the likely effectiveness of the proposed voluntary agreement on the advertising of new cars, calls on the Commission to make a proposal to amend Directive 1999/94/EC and introduce legal requirements for the labelling, advertising and marketing of new cars within the EU single market, particularly with a view to ensuring that it is properly transposed so as to provide comprehensive and comprehensible consumer information;

37. Recommends that mandatory and uniform minimum requirements should be set for the display of information relating to the fuel economy (l/100 km) and CO2 emissions (g/km) of new cars on vehicles and in advertising, in all marketing and promotional literature and in showrooms in a conspicuous, user-friendly and possibly colour-coded format for the purposes of comparison; regards the A-G format used for comparing the energy efficiency of certain electrical products as a model for the information displays required;

38. Calls on the Commission to propose rules with similar objectives to cover areas not covered by current legislation, such as TV, radio and Internet-based material as well as advertisements for nearly new cars;

39. Suggests that legislation requiring health warnings to be displayed on cigarette packs provides a useful example, and proposes that a minimum of 20% of the space devoted to the promotion of new cars through advertising, marketing literature, or point-of-sale displays in showrooms, should provide information on fuel economy and CO2 emissions in an approved format;

40. Recommends that air conditioning test results be included in the fuel consumption information in all marketing and promotional literature and in showrooms;

41. Suggests that a binding code for advertising be introduced which outlaws false green claims and, in order to promote strong consumer demand for vehicles with low CO2 emissions, recommends the introduction of an environmental performance “green star” rating system taking into account all aspects of environmental performance, including CO2 emissions (g/km) and emissions of other pollutants, fuel consumption (1/100 km), weight, aerodynamics, space efficiency, noise and environmental driving aids;

RUSSIA TODAY FILMING CREW DENIED ESTONIAN VISAS - October 23, 2007

from Julia Ermolina/Russia Today

Without explaining the reasons, the Estonian Embassy in Russia has refused to issue entrance visas to director Artem Somov and correspondent Alexander Luchaninov, two journalists working for Russia Today, Russia's satellite television channel broadcasting in English.

The crew was due to work on a documentary investigating problems related to neo-Nazis activism in the former soviet Baltic States. Alexander Luchaninov intended to produce for air a lengthily balanced story on the different points of view regarding this on-going story.

The channel regrets that the Estonian Embassy has barred Russia Today's crew from pursuing its professional duty to provide objective information about developments in the post-Soviet space to international TV audiences.

This would have been Alexander Luchaninov's second trip to Estonia. During previous visits, Russia Today correspondents and crew covered events linked to the demolition of the soviet war monument known as the "Liberator Soldier" in April 2007.

ITU - World Radiocommunication Conference opens in Geneva - October 22, 2007

World radio services meet for four weeks to address global spectrum demand

The World Radiocommunication Conference opened today in Geneva to address the worldwide use of radio frequencies and to meet the global demand for spectrum, fuelled by rapid technological developments and growth in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.

A finite resource, radio-frequency spectrum is the bedrock of state-of-the-art ICT, which, in turn is the driving force behind the world's economic and social systems. The future points towards a wireless world.

Last held in the summer of 2003, the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) is the international forum for revising the Radio Regulations - the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits.

WRC-07 will also deal with any radiocommunication questions with worldwide ramifications. The WRC-07 agenda focuses on some 30 items related to almost all terrestrial and space radio services and applications, including aeronautical telemetry and telecommand systems, satellite services, mobile communications, maritime distress and safety signals, digital broadcasting, satellites for meteorology, and the prediction and detection of natural disasters.

WRC-07 will consider options to improve the international spectrum regulatory framework. It will examine the evolution of existing, emerging and future applications, systems and technologies in order to meet the growing demand for spectrum, orbit access and operations - an inevitable consequence of the accelerating convergence of radiocommunications services as well as the rapidly changing regulatory environment.

WRC-07 will run until 16 November. More than 1500 delegates were present on the opening day. Over 3000 participants from around the world are expected to attend the Conference, which takes place at the Geneva International Conference Centre.

Addressing participants at the opening session, the Chairman of WRC-07, Mr François Rancy said, "This Conference will influence the future of international wireless communications. The objective of WRC-07 is to allow each country to use the spectrum for its own needs, as long as it does not affect the capacity of other countries to share the resource." Mr Rancy said that it was an honour for him, for France and for Europe to serve as Chairman of WRC-07.

Dr Touré, addressing his first World Radiocommunication Conference as Secretary-General of ITU, said that if at all there is a chance to meet the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), now less than 8 years away, we will have to rely on ICT to meet those targets. "ICT are omnipresent tools with profound implications for all economic sectors," he said. "The convergence of broadcasting, telecommunication and information technologies create more potent and effective tools." Dr Touré pointed to the critical need of connecting remote and underserved regions of the world to the benefits of ICT and to the importance of radiocommunications in the event of a natural disaster.

"WRC-07 is the supreme instrument to maintain and update the framework for international radiocommunications," said Mr Valery Timofeev, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau. "It will continue the development that has taken place through recent conferences to improve regulatory procedures and to provide frequency and orbit resources for new technologies, which are essential for the operation of all wireless services."

The future of wireless

To prepare for a truly wireless future where ubiquitous systems using spectrum will abound, WRC-07 will make decisions on the most rational and efficient ways to exploit the limited resource of radio-frequency spectrum and manage satellite orbits, critical and increasingly valuable for the achievement of the global connectivity goals in the 21st Century.

The issues to be debated and discussed during WRC-07 reflect the pressing needs relating to spectrum and regulation for different wireless services and applications:

new capabilities of systems, components and related aspects of third generation and broadband wireless systems

access to spectrum for the provision of aeronautical telemetry and telecommand systems compatible with the increasing complexity of aircraft design and shortened timescales for aircraft production

monitoring of maritime identification digits (MID) resource within Maritime Mobile Service Identification (MMSI) number format

urgent requirement for worldwide harmonization of user requirements and spectrum usage of electronic news gathering

procedures for the introduction of high definition TV services

revision of the regulatory procedures applicable to satellite services, including the Plan for fixed-satellite services that provide spectrum and orbit resources to the Member States of ITU

RFE/RL Correspondent Missing in Baghdad - October 22, 2007

from Martins Zvaners/RFERL

A Baghdad correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has been reported missing since this morning.

The correspondent, who works for RFE/RL's Arabic-language Radio Free Iraq service, was on her way to an interview but never arrived. Police found the body of her driver, shot and dumped in the street. There is no trace of the car or RFE/RL's correspondent.

RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin expressed deep concern at the news. Gedmin said: "RFE/RL is focusing all attention now on finding out what has happened to our colleague. We are working with the authorities in Baghdad and are in constant touch with friends and family. We remain hopeful we will get her back safely."

EBU - Future of Digital TV could depend on ITU decisions - October 22, 2007

from Michelle Roverelli/EBU

According to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the future of digital TV could be adversely affected by decisions taken at the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) which starts today in Geneva (see EBU statement in annex).

One of the items on the Conference's agenda - item 1.4 - concerns the identification of frequency bands for international mobile telecommunications (IMT) services, such as third generation UMTS mobile phones. The bands under consideration include UHF Bands IV & V (470 – 862 MHz) in ITU Region 1, i.e. Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East, which are currently used for TV broadcasting.

"In many European countries, digital terrestrial TV in these bands has already become a major success based on the availability of free-to-air TV services" says Lieven Vermaele, EBU Technical Director. "However, this success story could be jeopardised by the introduction of mobile phone services in broadcasting frequency bands."

Interference problems can easily arise when a number of services are deployed in the same frequency bands. Interference to analogue TV services typically appears as obtrusive patterns on the picture, while interference to digital TV services has much more radical effects, resulting in a complete blank screen. This would be unacceptable to consumers.

A recent study of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), which represents 48 EU countries, highlighted the problem of potential interference between mobile phones and TV services. CEPT suggests that further technical studies are necessary in this area and therefore allocations to the mobile service in relevant parts of the band 470 – 862 MHz should be considered only at the next World Radiocommunication Conference in 2011.

In view of the many uncertainties about interference issues, the EBU strongly endorses CEPT's position. "We urge ITU to wait and study the options before making any decision on band sharing," says Lieven Vermaele, "in 2011 the picture will be much clearer."

Furthermore, the transition to digital TV will free up some spectrum now used for analogue transmission but the amount of spectrum released will depend on national circumstances, such as the topography of a country, the penetration of satellite and/or cable services, the requirements for regional services and the spectrum usage in adjacent countries. The size and shape of the digital dividend, i.e. spectrum that can be released when analogue TV services shut down, is therefore still unknown. In most countries it will become a tangible national asset when analogue switch-off will be completed.

Therefore, at this early stage in the evolution of UMTS and similar mobile techniques, it is not yet possible to assess the spectrum requirements or the technical possibilities for such services to use UHF Bands IV & V. According to the EBU, it is entirely appropriate that decisions about the use of these bands by mobile radio services be deferred to the next World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-11).

The European Broadcasting Union has the status of observer at this World Radiocommunication Conference .

Annex: WRC-07 and the future of Digital TV

The future of digital TV could be adversely affected by decisions taken at the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) starting today.

WRC-07’s agenda item 1.4 concerns the identification of frequency bands for IMT (International Mobile Telecommunications) services, such as UMTS mobile phones. The bands under consideration include UHF Bands IV & V (470 – 862 MHz) which are currently used for TV broadcasting.

In many European countries, digital terrestrial TV in these bands has already become a major success based on the availability of free-to-air TV services. In fact, digital terrestrial TV has become the fastest growing digital TV platform in Europe. However, this success story could be jeopardised by the introduction of mobile phone services in these frequency bands.

At the request of the European Commission, the problem of potential interference between mobile phones and TV services has recently been studied by the CEPT (which represents the Administrations of 47 European countries). The CEPT decided that further technical studies are necessary: for example, a guard band (frequency separation) would be needed to avoid interference from mobile handset transmissions (uplink path) to reception of digital broadcasting services. Such guard bands can be considered as a waste of valuable spectrum, but the CEPT experts noted that the size of these guard bands had not yet been precisely determined.

In July 2007, the CEPT agreed a European Common Proposal (ECP) in preparation for WRC-07 which proposes that:

(a) allocations to the mobile service in relevant parts of the band 470 – 862 MHz should be considered at WRC-11;
(b) there should be no change in band 470 – 862 MHz at WRC-07.

In view of the many uncertainties about interference issues, the EBU strongly endorses this ECP.

It is regrettable that, despite the clear position of the CEPT, many mobile phone operators believe that WRC-07 should permit mobile radio services to use the band 470 – 862 MHz band in ITU Region 1.

The current framework for the implementation of digital terrestrial TV in UHF Bands IV & V for Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East was established last year by the ITU Regional Radiocommunication Conference (RRC-06). The resulting GE-06 Frequency Plan allows considerable flexibility for the ongoing evolution of terrestrial broadcasting.

Broadcasters (and consumers) have already made substantial investments in converting from analogue to digital TV – and are now implementing the GE-06 Plan. Without such investments, there would be no prospect of a digital dividend (i.e. spectrum that can be released when the analogue TV services are closed down). This digital dividend can be used for innovative services, such as the delivery of mobile TV to personal handsets or the delivery of High Definition TV (HDTV) services to the growing number of HD-ready flat-panel displays. To satisfy the evolving expectations of the public, broadcasters must have access to adequate amounts of suitable spectrum.

As a matter of principle, many Public Service Broadcasters are willing to make their content available to consumers through any media. Broadcasters recognise the long-term potential of innovative radio systems, such as ultra-wideband technology and other forms of broadband delivery via mobile or indoor networks. Most of these systems still have the possibility of developing within their existing frequency bands.

Broadcasters currently require access to the whole of UHF Bands IV & V to achieve the crucial transition from analogue TV to digital TV, whilst also permitting the gradual deployment of mobile TV and HDTV. At this early stage in the evolution of UMTS and similar mobile techniques, it is not yet possible to assess the spectrum requirements or the technical possibilities for such services to use UHF Bands IV & V. It is therefore entirely appropriate that decisions about the use of these bands by mobile radio services should be deferred until WRC-11.

The WRC-07 meeting will be held in Geneva from 22 October until 16 November. More information is available at www.itu.int.

2 Administrations participating in the CEPT process agree to support or at least not actively negotiate against such common positions during ITU meetings, such as WRC-07.