Introduction

The two previous chapters focused mainly on what is the essential policy objective surrounding many of the measures and discussions in the sector of audio-visual services: culture. This chapterwill focus on the means used to convey and receive audio-visual products (whether content or services). It will examine whether WTO law provides an appropriate framework for the regulation of those means and to what extent culture is an issue in this area. After this introduction, the second part of the chapter will address the current application of WTO rules to the provision of and access to networks. The third part of this chapter will discuss the current principles and regulations concerning the allocation of scarce resources, such as frequencies and satellite orbits. The fourth part of this chapter will present the rules applicable to terminal equipment. The fifth and final part of this chapter will contain a small conclusion. Throughout this analysis, the consequences of convergence in the application of these rules will be addressed as well as the place that it left to cultural policies.

Networks (general rules)

Traditionally, audio-visual services have been conveyed either by air, through reserved frequency bands, or by cable. The latter generally provided a one-way communications path and could therefore be used only by broadcasting services. Presently, technological developments enable the fast conveyance of large quantities of sound, image and data in both one-way and two-way communication paths, through broadband infrastructure. Broadband networks thus support both telecommunications and audio-visual services. They enable their provision in an integrated manner. Broadband technology also facilitates the multiplication of such networks, generating new competitive relations in converged services.