whether Google has illegally hindered the development and market access of rival mobile applications or services by requiring or incentivising smartphone and tablet manufacturers to exclusively pre-install Google’s own applications or services; whether Google has prevented smartphone and tablet manufacturers who wish to install Google's applications and services on some of their Android devices from developing and marketing modified and potentially competing versions of Android (so-called “Android forks”) on other devices, thereby il ...[+++]legally hindering the development and market access of rival mobile operating systems and mobile applications or services; whether Google has illegally hindered the development and market access of rival applications and services by tying or bundling certain Google applications and services distributed on Android devices with other Google applications, services and/or application programming interfaces of Google.

The communication on the revision of European Union State aid rules on Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI) and the report on their application, adopted today by the Commission, show that these rules, also known as the 2005 post-Altmark package, have brought increased legal certainty for Member States and for the service providers.

The temporary value added tax arrangements of Directive 77/388/EEC applicable for radio and television broadcasting services and certain electronically supplied services were extended until 31 December 2006 by Council Directive 2006/58/EC of 27 June 2006 amending Council Directive 2002/38/EC as regards the period of application of the value added tax arrangements applicable to radio and television broadcasting services and certain electro ...[+++]nically supplied services

Important items to be covered by WRC-97 and for which the CPG has prepared positions include: the mobile satellite and fixed satellite service; the simplification of ITU Radio Regulations; the rules applicable to broadcasting services; modification of the frequency allocation table to accomodate specific scientific and maritime services; and the discussion of allocation of spectrum above 30 Ghz for high-density applications.

2. It would be disproportionate for National Schemes to be used to recover costs associated with activities which are not within the scope of universal service, for exemple the cost of implementing specific measures required for purposes of public security or the provision of communication services outside the scope of universal service to schools, hospitals or similar institutions.

4) The Council reached agreement on the work programme in the field of ONP for the next years. In particular, this programme provides that : there will be specific ONP Directives for leased lines and voice telephony; by 1 January 1991, technical interfaces and services features concerning packet-switched data transmission and the ISDN will be established and could be made mandatory according to the procedure mentioned above; ONP conditions will be adopted in the form of recommendations by 1 July 1991 and 1 January 1992 for packet-switched data transmission and the ISDN respectively; -2- the Council will examine Commisson proposals in ...[+++]1992 and thereafter by which the recommendations mentioned above would be transposed into directives. THE SERVICES DIRECTIVE On 28 June 1989, the Commission had adopted a first draft of the Services Directive on the basis of Article 90(3) of the Treaty. However, the Commission postponed its entry into force so that the Council of Ministers would have sufficient time to adopt the Directive on Open Network Provision (the ONP Directive). Thus, the Commission wished to see the Services Directive entering into force on the same day as the ONP Directive. The basic concept of the Services Directive is as follows : The exclusive or special rights of the PTTs in the field of telecommunications services have to be abolished, with the exception of voice telephony and the network infrastructure.