EU wants super regulator over telecoms market

Not surprisingly, Europe's largest telecom companies don't like a plan from the European Union designed to strengthen regulators' control over the industry and increase broadband competition and more pan-European services.

Viviane Reding, European Union media commissioner, has proposed a shake-up of the telecoms' regulations, which includes the idea to give national authorities the power to split up telecom operators if other measures to drive competition didn't work. That idea, of course, is alarming to Europe's largest operators.

Telecom lobbyists argue the move would be costly, not to mention intrusive, and hurt the build out of high-speed broadband networks. Reding argues that some former state monopolies maintain a hold on their networks, hurting competition.

The crux of the changes is the creation of a new pan-European authority that would open the telecoms market to full competition and ensure regulatory consistency across the 27 member countries.

For more about the EU's proposed changes:
- read this article from The Financial Times