Roaming Charges: Mandelson and Verheugen against Reding?

Sources: Sarah Laitner for the FT in Brussels (July 4)
and: EU Oberver.com (see left column)

Viviane Reding, the EU Commissioner for telecommunications, stands firm for her proposals to cap the extra charges Telecom Companies impose on their customers, when they call to or from foreign networks in Europe.

Viviane Reding

After attacks from the interested companies (who claim that 15% of their profits originate with roaming charges) and from the class of mediators (see preceding post), now, two heavyweights in the European Commission, Mandelson and Verheugen indicate that they will not support the Reding proposals entirely.
The most recent discussions deal with the question, if it would be sufficient, to cap the extra costs companies are charging each other, or if the EU should cap the extra charges for consumers.
In the first case, companies would remain free to charge their clients whatever they like. In the second one, consumers with contracts with smaller companies (mainly from smaller countries), would be effectively protected against this anomaly. For, we should repeat it every time, these consumers have no other choice than to contract with one of the local companies that provide mobile telephone.
It is worthwile, to follow closely these developments. And that is what we are going to do here. As long as necessary.