Brussels, 27/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Cable Communications Association (ECCA) fully support the development and promotion of open and interoperable standards such as MHP, and is presently preparing a joint Memorandum of Understanding with all the actors concerned in the sector. In the meantime, while the "telecommunications" package is being scrutinised by both the European Parliament and within the Council bodies on the eve of its meeting on 6 and 7 December, the association defending the interests of the cable sector at the European level has just issued a certain number of reservations towards the imposition of a single standard.
In a press release from 26 November, the ECCA underlines that the "previous attempts to mandate standards (D2mac) should make us cautious", to the extent that according to it, any decision of this kind should only be taken after a wide ranging public consultation and be based on a consensus from industry. More specifically, the association feels that before a single standard is made obligatory, it is important that it be considered by all the parties concerned as sufficiently "mature" and reliable from a technical point of view, technologically neutral in its use through infrastructures, viable for a wide ranging implementation, and providing levels of functionality supported by the supply existing on the market. While recognising that the MHP standard has the potential desired to answer these requirements, the ECCA believes that it is premature to make it obligatory for interactive broadcasting because: - it is directed towards manufacturers and content suppliers, but does not take sufficiently into account the interests of consumers and operators; - it is too costly for consumers and operators, it does not even allow to develop digital television; - it is not sufficiently "mature", has not proved itself on the market and presents serious entrepreneurial dangers; - it is a single standard, it risks suffocating innovation; - it does not allow for a wide range of services that the operators provide today or intend to provide tomorrow, thus restraining the diversity of digital services and endangering investments approved to develop them - the ECCA notes that it is not yet certain whether the upgraded versions will meet this requirement for diversity at a reasonable cost; - it may lead to a significant disadvantage in terms of competition, for example with ASDL suppliers who could be capable of providing such services (such as internet access), which is not presently possible with the present version of MHP (more information: http://www.ecca.be ).