Telenor has rejected the demand from the IFPI to block access to the Swedish website The Pirate Bay, and says there is no legal basis for the demand for ISPs to control or assess the content users download. Telenor says it does not condone pirating of material and illegal file sharing. In Telenor’s opinion, expressed […]

Vivendi and broadband provider Iliad have joined together to file a complaint with the European competition authorities against France Telecom claiming it has abused its dominant market position in the country's fixed-line and broadband market. Vivendi chief Jean Bernard Lévy noted that 11 years after the market was open to competition, France Telecom still had […]

A French commercial court has told France Telecom to stop linking subscriptions to its Orange Foot soccer channel exclusively to its broadband packages. Rival broadband providers Iliad and Neuf Cegetel had complained to the court that it was unfair for Orange Football to be available only to France Telecom’s broadband subscribers. A France Telecom spokesman […]

Ofcom has received two applications from the PSBs who are eligible to apply for capacity sufficient for a fourth High Definition service on Multiplex B. The applicants are Five and a joint bid from Channel 4 and Welsh-language broadcaster S4C. Ofcom is now considering both applications and expects to publish its decision in April 2009. […]

The European Commission is set to delay proposals to tackle online piracy until the end of its current mandate, following heavy pressure from telecoms companies and consumer organisations. Lobbies from the music sector and the wider online content production industry have been pushing for a range of initiatives to reduce Internet piracy in Europe. Brussels […]

Turkey's biggest media group has fallen foul of the authorities incurring a $408m tax fine at a time when its advertising revenues are set to weaken and its parent company wants to use its cash to expand in other sectors. Dogan Yayin, which owns TV channels and daily newspapers disclosed the fine, which is bigger […]

Canal+ has filed a complaint with French antitrust authorities against France Telecom’s Orange, accusing the carrier of unfair competition in bundling its Internet, telephone and other services to attract customers. The complaint, filed with France’s Autorite de la Competition, accuses Orange of taking advantage of its control over the broadband market by tying its cable […]

The chances of BT spending £1.5bn (E1.7bn) on a superfast broadband network have increased after Ofcom said its rules would not prevent the telecoms operator from securing an adequate return on its investment. Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom, told the FT the planned regulatory regime for BT's network would not be an "obstacle". Since […]

Cable Europe, the industry representing Europe's cable industry, has expressed disappointment at a European Commission decision to allow the Dutch communications regulator, OPTA, to impose new regulatory rules on cable operators (See Daily News 11/02/09). The Commission has effectively approved a move by the Dutch regulator to mandate cable operators to allow third party services […]

The European Commission has backed plans from Dutch telecoms regulator OPTA to open up the country's cable TV market. OPTA plans to force the country's four largest cable operators Ziggo, UPC, Delta and CAIW to open up their digital networks to third parties. According to OPTA, the regulations are needed to boost competition in the […]