EU trying to regulate web "by the back door"

Industry groups are complaining about what they claim is an attempt by the European Union to "regulate the internet by the back door".

The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) and tech industry association Intellect are calling on the European Commission to drop its plans to publish a draft Audio Visual Content Directive (AVCD) by the end of the year.

The current regulation framework - the TV Without Frontiers directive - was originally devised in 1989 by the EC to stop broadcasters from being hit by double regulation (in the country where the content is produced, and then again in the country where it is broadcast).

New technologies such as podcasting, video on demand, and streaming video over the internet have prompted a review of the directive, resulting in the creation of the AVCD.

But in a joint statement the BSG and Intellect described the proposed regulation as "totally unworkable and an attempt by the EU to regulate the internet via the back door".

Intellect told silicon.com that more consultation is needed with the broadband providers, telecoms companies and new media players which will also be impacted by the regulations.

It also warns that too much regulation could "chill" a market that is only just developing. They also claim that more regulation is unnecessary in many cases as safeguards are already in place at member state level.

BSG chairman Philip Graf said in a statement: "These proposals would lead to a massive extension of EU regulation to cover all audio-visual content services, [and] in some cases would catch online services, such as newspapers, that are beyond the EU's competence."

And Antony Walker, Intellect's director for the knowledge economy, added that new content services should be given time to evolve and develop "rather than being shackled by premature and unnecessary regulation intervention by the EU".