EU president returns from trip, tears up roaming rules
The European Commission's proposal to make mobile-phone roaming across the European Union free for just 90 days a year lasted less than a week. It's been withdrawn while a new policy is drafted.
The 90-day limit, and another setting the maximum continuous period of free roaming at 30 days, attracted criticism -- particularly from students hoping to use mobiles from their home countries while spending a year studying abroad.
Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker was in China when Brussels officials published the draft regulation for consultation on Sept. 5, but on his return told officials to start over.
"The president heard and saw the feedback that we received from consumer organizations, from parliamentarians, from stakeholders, from others. ... This proposal was in his view not adequate," said Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Alexander Winterstein.
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