Nearly 20% of European households buy bundled telecom packages, according to an EU-wide survey of 27,000 representative households. Almost 30% are now connected to the internet via high-speed 'broadband' links and households increasingly use mobile phones as fixed lines become less popular. 17% of Europeans having a home Internet connection use it for Internet telephony. [European Commission Press Release]

The European Commission has decided to formally close an investigation under EC Treaty state aid rules into the financing regime for German public service broadcasters in the light of formal commitments from the German Government to amend the current regime. The European Commission's decision accepts these commitments, submitted in December 2006, as an adequate means to ensure compliance with general EU Treaty state aid rules and the 2001 Commission Communication on the application of state aid rules to public service broadcasting. The amendments announced include a more precise definition and a proper entrustment of the public service mission in particular as regards new media activities, adequate safeguards against overcompensation and cross-subsidisation, the respect of market principles in commercial activities and more transparency as regards the sublicensing of sports rights. The European Commission's investigation, opened in March 2005, was prompted by complaints. [European Commission Press Release]

The European Commission has received a response from Microsoft to the Statement of Objections (SO) addressed to Microsoft on 1st March for failing to comply with certain of its obligations under the March 2004 Commission decision. Microsoft has not requested an oral hearing. The European Commission will now consider Microsoft's reply and decide whether to impose a daily penalty on Microsoft for failure to comply with the March 2004 decision. [European Commission Press Release]

The EU's High Level Expert Group on Digital Libraries - which includes, inter alia, stakeholders from the British Library, the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, the Federation of European Publishers and Google - presented an advisory report on copyright issues to the European Commission. In addition, the group discussed how to ensure more open access to scientific research and how to improve public-private cooperation. The work of the High Level Group is part of the European Commission's efforts to make Europe's rich cultural and scientific heritage available online. For this purpose, the group advises the Commission on issues regarding digitisation, online accessibility and digital preservation of cultural material. [European Commission Press Release]