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DIGITAL INTEROPERABILITY FORUM (DIF)[1]<= o:p>
Response to Communication COM(2005) 229 o=
n
i2010 – A European Information Soci=
ety
for Growth and Employment
1. The Digital Interoperability Forum (DIF) =
is an
industry group of many of the foremost players in
2. DIF aims to promote a greater understandi=
ng of
the important role that investment and innovation by industry plays in
delivering the benefits of digital and interactive television services to <=
st1:place
w:st=3D"on">Europe’s citizens, hence fuelling the growth =
of the
information society. DIF̵=
7;s
members are committed to the development of industry-led solutions to make =
it
commercially and technically possible for content to be made available to
European consumers and citizens on the widest choice of platforms and devic=
es.
3. DIF’s members are active at many
different technical and commercial levels of the ICT industry, including the
creation of content. They hav=
e been
instrumental in providing the infrastructure through which the wide choice =
of
digital television channels and innovative interactive services –
offering information and e-commerce as well as entertainment – are
accessed by millions of households in the majority of EU member states.
4. DIF’s members have collectively inv=
ested
tens of billions of euro in developing and rolling-out digital TV and relat=
ed
services in
5. DIF welcomes Communication COM(2005) 229 =
on i2010
– A European Information Society for Growth and Employment. DIF agrees that innovation and
communication technologies are an important and powerful driver for sustain=
able
growth and employment in
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6. DIF agrees that a consistent set of rules=
is
needed to govern the Single European Information =
Space
and that this may require a revision of some existing regulatory elements.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> DIF would recommend that a light t=
ouch
approach towards regulation is adopted, to avoid the risk of constraining
innovation and stifling growth.
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style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
7. The technologies from the previously sepa=
rate
worlds of broadcasting, telecommunication and computing are converging and
forming new combinations.
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8. DIF agrees that new content creation, ser=
vices
and business models are driving growth and jobs. Allowing a range of viable
business models to provide the investment needed to develop attractive serv=
ices
is the best means of realising the full potential of this growth. For example, it has become increasi=
ngly
clear that no single technology for interactive TV is appropriate for the
diverse range of market situations found across the Member States.
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9. DIF agrees that digital rights management=
is a
key issue in the Single European Information Spac=
e. DIF supports the work of DVB in de=
veloping
an interoperable Content Protection and Copy Management (CPCM) system, whic=
h is
designed to accommodate a variety of business models. In this respect, in order to attai=
n the
i2010 objectives, DIF considers that continuity of security must be maintai=
ned
across platforms, thereby reducing the risk of piracy.
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10. DIF agrees that a strengthening of innova=
tion
and investment in ICT research is important to promote growth and employmen=
t. However, DIF would caution against
putting too much emphasis on investment in collaborative development progra=
mmes
such as the Seventh Research Framework Programme. Whilst such initiatives undoubtedl=
y have
a valuable role to play in the early stages of pre-competitive research, th=
ey
are less useful in the later implementation stages where ICT is embedded in=
to
products and services. Indeed=
, there
is a risk that the contrast between the long timescales of such programmes =
and
the rapidly changing ICT market dynamics could lead to excessive momentum
building up behind a technology that the market has already rejected, as
happened with the analogue High Definition TV system developed in the Eurek=
a 95
Project.
DIF therefore considers that equal emphas=
is
should be put on creating the conditions that encourage industry to innovate
and invest in ICT directly. G=
iving
industry the confidence that it has the flexibility to innovate and respond=
to rapidly
changing market demands by implementing the most appropriate technology for=
its
business model would encourage investment in ICT. Conversely, any concern that possi=
ble
future regulatory intervention could mandate the use of a different technol=
ogy
would discourage industry from making any such investment.
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11. DIF agrees that an inclusive information society can contribut=
e to
the provision of high quality public services and the promotion of quality =
of
life. A regulatory regime whi=
ch works
with industry by encouraging investment in the provision of attractive and =
easy
to use content is the best way to achieve this.
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[1] DIF represents many of=
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