ABSTRACT
This chapter examines whether the current scope of universal service is still adequate considering the increased importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) in people's lives, the contemporary ICT environment and the Information Society goals of the European Union (EU). It discusses the main elements of the current universal service scope and the discrepancies between it and the changing information and communications environment. The chapter describes the potential and the nature of possible changes based on the legal analysis of the current mechanism for the review of the scope of universal service. It argues that the concept of access to the network would better correspond to the level of development of ICT markets and is a more user-oriented concept by comparison to the current one because it would take into account expectations and communication needs of end-users. It would be better aligned with the objectives and possibilities of electronic communications policy.
