Radio Spectrum Policy Programme
EU programme to standardise radio spectrum allocation across member states.
The Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP) was a five-year initiative by the European Union that defined regulatory targets, priorities, and rules for radio spectrum use. Its main objective was to harmonise the frequencies assigned to various communication services across member states, with specific deadlines for achieving that harmonisation.
The programme was adopted on 14 March 2012 by the European Council and the European Parliament, and was developed and managed by the European Commission. The initial version set out goals and timelines for standardising spectrum allocation throughout the EU, and required the Commission to submit a progress report by April 2014. However, several member states failed to meet certain targets—particularly the assignment of the 800 MHz band—which meant that standardisation was not achieved in all countries early on.
In the year following adoption, the Commission conducted three legislative reviews of the programme. The third review recommended turning the programme into a regulation, which would make it directly enforceable in member states without needing national legislation, thereby ensuring compliance. In 2013, the Commission revised the programme and included this updated version as legislation in a regulatory proposal. The European Parliament supported the measure, but member states in the European Council objected, citing its intrusiveness into national powers. The Council subsequently removed the legislation from the proposal.
In 2015, the Radio Spectrum Policy Group reported that the programme had largely met its objectives. Later, in 2016, the European Electronic Communications Code was drafted, and its section on radio spectrum was based primarily on the 2013 modified programme. That code, including the spectrum section, was implemented in 2018.
The programme’s goals included transitioning from analogue to digital broadcasting, allocating certain frequencies for mobile broadband across the EU, and using freed-up spectrum for wireless communication. The 2013 proposed legislation aimed to eliminate national differences in spectrum allocation.
- Adopted
- 14 March 2012
- Duration
- five years
- Managing body
- European Commission
- Legislative reviews
- three
- Report deadline
- April 2014
- Modified version year
- 2013
- Implementation year of eecc
- 2018
Lore & Background
The programme was adopted by the European Council and the European Parliament on 14 March 2012, and was managed and created by the European Commission. The first version laid out goals and their timescales to standardise the assignment of the radio spectrum across the EU. It also stipulated that the commission had to produce a report on what the programme had achieved by April 2014. Several member states failed to meet certain goals due to a variety of reasons, which meant that the programme did not achieve standardisation in all member states early on. There were several member states who missed the target for the assignment of the 800 MHz band.
In the year after its introduction, the European Commission initiated three different legislative reviews of the programme, with the third review proposing that the commission adopt the programme into regulation. This was because not all of the member states met the goals on time. Adapting it into a regulation would mean that once adopted it would be enforceable in member states without national legislation, ensuring that every member state met the goals on time. In 2013, the commission modified the programme and added the new version as legislation to a regulatory proposal. The European Parliament supported the legislation; however, member states in the European Council did not agree with the legislation due to its 'intrusiveness into national prerogatives'. The legislation was then removed by the council from the regulatory proposal.
In 2015, the Radio Spectrum Policy Group in their annual report said that the programme's objectives had been mostly achieved. In 2016, the European Electronic Communications Code was created, which incorporated a section on the radio spectrum that was mostly based on the modified 2013 programme. The code was implemented, along with the section, in 2018.
Reader's Guide
The Radio Spectrum Policy Programme's significance lies in its attempt to harmonise radio spectrum usage across the European Union, a goal that was only partially achieved. While the programme set out clear objectives and timelines, several member states failed to meet certain goals, particularly regarding the assignment of the 800 MHz band, which prevented full standardisation early on. The programme's legacy is shaped by the legislative struggle that followed: the European Commission proposed adopting a modified version as a regulation to enforce compliance, but member states in the European Council rejected it as too intrusive into national prerogatives, leading to its removal. Despite this, the Radio Spectrum Policy Group reported in 2015 that the programme's objectives had been mostly achieved. The modified 2013 version of the programme ultimately served as the basis for the section on the radio spectrum in the European Electronic Communications Code, which was implemented in 2018. Thus, while the original programme did not achieve its full regulatory ambition, its core principles and structure were carried forward into binding EU law, giving it lasting influence on spectrum management in Europe.
Did You Know?
- The European Parliament supported the 2013 modified legislation, but member states in the European Council removed it due to its 'intrusiveness into national prerogatives'.
- The Radio Spectrum Policy Group said in 2015 that the programme had mostly met its goals.
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