Space
Green Paper
3.3
Developing
space industry within a transparent and stable regulatory framework Investment
in the space sector is often considerable and fraught with risk, requiring
a long planning and implementation period. Taking account of these characteristics,
it is important to establish a stable and transparent regulatory framework
to motivate decision-makers and investors. A number of administrative obstacles
remain to be overcome at national and European level. Evolution
in the industrial landscape Space
is a strategic "pioneer" market involving extreme technical and financial risks
and very high entry costs for new players, justifying the major role played
by the public authorities in this area. The
competition objective in this context is particularly important to ensure optimum
allocation of resources, maintenance of transparency, a high level of competitiveness
and a reduction of costs. New
regrouping trends in the space sector are not be excluded, in particular in
Europe. The course taken by this industry has been largely determined by the
will of the public authorities expressed through an industrial policy of the
ESA. Q11:
Economic pressures are driving aerospace industries in Europe and elsewhere
to restructure. What are the consequences of such restructuring? How may the
actions of public bodies be best organised to support the competitiveness of
the space industry? Regulation
and standardisation Operating
global space systems and networks poses complex problems. Efforts towards simplification
and expediting procedures appear necessary in particular in three areas: - Frequency
spectrum,
orbital positions: The allocation of frequencies and orbital positions of satellites
are increasingly scarce resources shared at international level. They are assigned
to states by a specialised United Nations Agency, the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU). The relevant decisions are taken at World Radiocommunication Conferences.
It
is in the interest of Member States to act jointly within these bodies, which
is in fact already partly the case, in particular through the European Conference
of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), but these efforts
should be further intensified in order to better present European positions
in the framework of international bodies.
- Standardisation:
Apart from a number of rare cases, space systems are developed in accordance
with specific industrial standards which are authorised, virtually automatically,
by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Open and shared
standards would be conducive to a wider response of systems to the demands
of the general public, thereby enhancing commercial efficiency . It is necessary
to stimulate the worldwide industry to make use of these standards.
- Licensing:
The aim should be to eliminate regulatory barriers hampering the swift settlement
of problems of licences for operating and installing terminals, which is an
indispensable condition for attracting investment in European space telecommunication
services, and to develop the market for new services such as broadband internet
via satellite. Organisations wishing to establish a commercial satellite system
in Europe can do so through a "one-stop shop" by submitting a single request
to the regulatory authorities of a country, which should facilitate the licensing
process. Under the provisions in force, this remains within the competence
of the Member States. It will be necessary to examine how the current system
of allocation of licences can be adapted to develop the space sector, notably
to ease the installation of satellite systems with a pan-European coverage.
In particular those who propose new services.
Q.12:
Are there regulatory barriers, which slow the development of new space communication
services? What are the measures likely to improve regulatory environment notably
with a view to the development of the information society?
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