In November 2018, following an in-depth Phase 2 investigation, the European Commission (“Commission”) unconditionally approved the acquisition of Tele2 NL by T-Mobile NL, respectively the fourth and third largest players in the Dutch retail mobile telecoms market. The merged entity remains the third largest player in this market after KPN and VodafoneZiggo. This transaction is the first
COP 24 Round-Up Part Two: Looking Ahead from Katowice
COP 24 negotiations culminated in the 2018 “Paris Rulebook” (“Rulebook”) but fell short of resolving all issues implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement (“Agreement”). In 2019 and subsequent years, we expect dynamic debates between negotiators on at least five key issues:
Information Commissioner’s Office Issues Guidance on UK Data Protection Law in the Event of a “No-Deal” Brexit
On December 13, 2018, the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) in the United Kingdom issued guidance on the state of UK data protection law should the country leave the European Union (“EU”) without having reached an agreement on the terms of its withdrawal. Much of this latest guidance is consistent with the ICO’s earlier guidance on
Australia’s Encryption Bill Becomes Law
On December 6, 2018, the Australian Parliament passed a bill that aims to address concerns raised by national security and law enforcement agencies regarding encrypted communications.
Introduced in September, the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018 (the Act) may affect technology companies around the globe. As discussed in our
The (Developing) History of Cartels – A Conceptual Waterloo
With a musical ABBA twist, Johan Ysewyn presented the evolution of the cartel concept in the EU at the Chillin’ Competition Conference on 20 November 2018 in Brussels.
Click here to watch the full presentation by Johan.
COP 24 Round-Up Part One: The Paris Rulebook
On December 15, 2018, climate negotiators in Katowice, Poland reached agreement on a “Paris Rulebook” (“Rulebook”) which will implement the Paris Agreement (“Agreement”). Reactions to the ambitiousness of the Rulebook have been mixed. Although negotiators found some common ground on specific reporting and transparency rules, they could not reach consensus on implementing more
IoT Update: Council of the European Union adopts the European Electronic Communications Code and BEREC Regulation
On 4 December 2018, the Council of the European Union (the “Council”) formally approved a major reform of the European telecom regulatory framework, the European Electronic Communications Code (the “EECC”). The Council also approved an associated regulation on the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (“BEREC Regulation”).
NICE adopts evidence standards for the development and assessment of digital health technologies (DHTs)
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recently published an evidence standards framework for DHTs (the Standards), available here. It did so through a working group led by NHS England, but supported by representatives from Public Health England, MedCity and DigitalHealth.London.
The Standards cover DHTs, such as apps, programs and
IoT Update: The UK Government’s Response to Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation Consultation
On 20 November 2018, the UK government published its response (the “Response”) to the June 2018 consultation (the “Consultation”) regarding the proposed new Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (“DEI”). First announced in the UK Chancellor’s Autumn 2017 Budget, the DEI will identify measures needed to strengthen the way data and AI are used and
EPA and CARB Begin Reexamining Heavy-Duty Vehicle Regulations
On November 13, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched its Cleaner Trucks Initiative (CTI), which will decrease nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by updating the existing NOx standard for heavy-duty trucks. EPA’s announcement comes just as the California Air Resources Board (CARB) updated its Heavy-Duty On-board Diagnostic (HD OBD) requirements and prepares to