CARS Electronic Communications Laboratory

CARS Electronic Communications Laboratory at the Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw, started its activity on 21 April 2017. This Laboratory is a specific form of implementing CARS statutory tasks in sectors of telecommunications. Its purpose is to conduct interdisciplinary legal-economic studies on regulation and protection of competition in the electronic communications sector, which is characterized by the intertwining of legal and economic issues. In the EU and its member states telecommunications are constantly evolving under the influence of social, economic and technological factors, which necessitates changes to the regulatory approach, expressed in Union and national law.

The goals and plans of CARS Electronic Communications Laboratory

The previous regulatory framework has been replaced by the Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC), which came into force in December 2018, with a December 2020 transposition deadline. The EECC has updated the following areas: the rights of end-users of electronic communications services in the EU; universal services; the assignment and use of radio spectrum; access to infrastructure obligations; the scope of the regulatory framework, which was extended to include providers of interpersonal communications services, both number-based and number-independent. In Poland, the transposition of the EECC revolves around a completely new Electronic Communications Law, work on which is still ongoing in 2021. The Electronic Communications Laboratory will monitor the influence of the new regulations on all members of the electronic communications value chain, including: end-users, providers of electronic communications services, regulatory authorities, and enterprises relying on electronic communications in their everyday activities.

The Regulation (EU) 2015/2120 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down measures concerning open internet access came into force in most EU member states in 2016, and in Poland in 2017. It has established a network neutrality regime regarding internet access services. It prohibits providers of those services from implementing traffic management measures which are not objectively and technically necessary, and it obligates said providers to effectively inform end-users about the functionality of internet access services. Regulation 2015/2120 has been in force for several years, yet its provisions still remain somewhat unclear, even after partial clarification by the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 15.09.2020 in joined cases C-807/18 and C-39/19 Telenor. The compatibility with Regulation 2015/2120 of traffic management measures, commercial practices (including zero-rating, also known as zero tariffs), and measures implemented to provide end-users with clear and comprehensible information on internet access services are all of interest to the Electronic Communications Laboratory.

The Electronic Communications Laboratory will continue to study and support legislative and regulatory processes regarding electronic communications, and to cooperate with enterprises and consumer associations. The Laboratory will initiate and edit monographs and journals, and organize conferences and seminars, as well as webinars and guest lectures.

In 2022 we plan on organizing a conference on the implementation of Regulation 2015/2120 laying down measures concerning open internet access, with the participation of regulatory authorities, providers of internet access services, and providers of internet content.

Once the new, monumental Electronic Communications Law will have come into force and its practical effects will have been recognized, we will organize a conference on those effects, with the participation of actors from the private and public sectors.

People

	Dr Andrzej Nałęcz Head of the CARS Electronic Communications Laboratory Doctor of Law, assistant professor at the Academic Unit for Business Law, Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Prof. dr hab. Stanisław Piątek CARS Deputy Director. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Dr Magdalena Olender-Skorek Associate professor at the Market Economy Unit of the Department of National Economy, Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Ewelina D. Sage, PhD (OXON) E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. See more: www.ewelinasage.co.uk
	Dr Ewa Kwiatkowska Doctor of Economics, associate professor at the Department of Quantative Methods of Management and Application of Informatics at Leon Kozminski Academy. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.