UK Warns Against New EU Roaming Regulations

The UK plans to push back against parts of a European Union plan to overhaul telecommunications rules, a new stumbling block for proposals that have already run into opposition from telecom companies. The EU should be wary of burdening itself with extra regulation as it tries to reduce mobile roaming charges and accelerate the allocation of radio spectrum, the British government said in a briefing note, prepared for an EU summit. New roaming rules and harmonizing the EU's patchwork of cellular radio spectrum are key parts of the plan that is being promoted by the European Commission, the EU's executive arm. The UK says that using existing rules to reduce roaming and add high-speed, fourth-generation capacity would do more to help the industry than adding regulations.