Open network provision (ONP), voice telephony

The Commission accepted some of the amendments tabled by the European Parliament at second reading and incorporated them in its amended proposal so that they could be reconsidered by the Council. - With regard to the rights of users and installations, the Commission supported the amendments concerning: . compulsory compensation when the contracted service quality levels were not met; . the requirement to provide prompt and reasoned explanations to users justifying the reason for denying special network access; . the addition of clarification with regard to the right of telecommunications organisations to request special network access with a view to providing competitive services; - With regard to transparency, the Commission supported two amendments: . one provided for external audits of the financial accounts of telecommunications organisations; . the other related to the availability of information and its submission to the Commission in cases where access was limited or refused. However, the Commission rejected the amendments concerning comitology procedures and the procedures providing for consultation of bodies representing the telecommunications sector and, finally, the amendments dealing with specific aspects of interconnection affecting small and medium-sized telecommunications organisations.