This collection contains papers of the

28th European Regional ITS Conference (Passau 2017)
Passau, Germany, 30th July – 2nd August 2017

"Competition and Regulation in the Information Age"

The information age, where information and data have become a crucial good and production factor, has brought about several business disruptions in the telecommunications and media industries. This includes the phenomenon of digital convergence, which has caused the boundaries between traditionally distinct regulatory realms, such as communications and media services but also between communications and information services, to become blurred. This has not only fundamentally changed how we communicate, and how we consume (digital) goods, but possibly also implies fundamental changes on how these markets should be regulated. In this vein, new business models and regulation associated with digital convergence also bring about several opportunities and challenges, e.g., for designing a smarter world (e.g., in the context of smart cities and smart grids), for closing the digital divide (e.g., zero-rated information services), or for empowering and protecting consumers (e.g., consumer privacy). The 28th European Regional ITS Conference aims to address these and related issues, from a regulatory as well as a consumer and firm perspective, as well as their implications for Europe’s dynamic information and telecommunications market. It brings together academics, policy makers, users and operators to discuss opportunities and challenges for the evolution of the European information infrastructure and its role in the wider world.