Closing session of the 68th EBU General Assembly
22 June 2012
The second and final day of the EBU General Assembly opened with a keynote speech by MEP Catherine Trautmann, who as rapporteur of the EU's Telecoms Package is a legislator with a good understanding of the media.
Mme Trautmann, of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, raised one of the crucial issues for EBU Members: holding on to terrestrial TV broadcasting spectrum.
Spectrum is a vital resource needed by both broadcasters and network operators, although the latter contesting that the greater good lies with using spectrum for wireless broadband.
Mme Trautmann said that rather than adopting a defensive posture, broadcasters should clearly communicate their intentions for the broadcasting spectrum.
General Assembly host, France Télévisions, then produced a session called La Télévision Comme Outil Democratique, which examined the role of television in informing voters about electoral issues.
This was followed by a technology session on The Future of Media : Technology, Users, Business, led by EBU Technology & Development Director, Lieven Vermaele, and a number of key speakers.
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At the end of this last session, EBU President Jean-Paul Philippot paid tribute to Dr David Wood, EBU Deputy Director Technology & Development, who is set to retire after almost 32 years of dedicated service.
Mr Philippot applauded Dr Wood's "immeasurable insight and understanding of the media technology landscape". |
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