Denmark and the Netherlands are being blocked from introducing new pricing regulations by the European Commission (EC), which is probing if the amendments breach European competition laws.
The EC has launched separate investigations into whether national regulators the Danish Business Authority and OPTA are discriminating against rival operators and the public with planned changes to termination rates. The DBA is being probed over its plans to change SMS termination fees, while OPTA is in the frame for its fixed and mobile rate changes.
Speaking on Denmark’s plans, Neelie Kroes, vice president of the EC’s Digital Agenda, says work is needed to ensure the new laws are applied “without discrimination on the basis of the origin of the SMS within the EU. “Any national price regulation must be compatible with single market rules.”
The EC only recently gained the power to block national regulators, and official statements hint it won’t be shy about issuing binding decisions to regulators if they continue to make localized changes that don’t match broader European laws.