20/01/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 20 January, the Committee of Representatives to the EU (Coreper) gave the go-ahead to the inter-institutional compromise reached at the end of December to reorganise the 700 MHz (694-790 MHz) frequency band. The draft text still needs to be formally ratified by the Parliament and Council and is expected to affect the 700 MHz (694-790 MHz) wireless broadband frequency (the demand for which is constantly increasing) as from 2020 (see EUROPE 11690). Member states may delay the reallocation by up to two years in “duly justified cases”. The agreement sets out the adoption and publication of national plans for each country before 30 June 2018 and the end of 2017 as the deadline for the cross-border coordination agreements. The compromise also seeks to limit privileged access to 2030 for frequencies below 700 MHz (470–694 MHz), which audio-visual services are currently using. (SPj)