The challenges of digitalization and the use of data

The de- and re-regulation of the different network industries is an ongoing process at national and global levels. As this process unfolds, ever new phenomena emerge. Yet, the question about the right mixture between market, economic, technical and social regulation remains wide open in all the network industries. Selected academics and practitioners have been invited to Florence on June 24th 2016 at the Annual Conference of the Florence School of Regulation to discuss the latest developments in the regulation of different network industries, namely transport, energy, telecoms and water distribution. The fifth edition of the Conference on the Regulation of Infrastructures had a special focus on digitalization and the use of data, which is a topic that cuts across all network industries and is highly debated. 10 papers have been presented in five round table sessions, each dedicated to one of the discussed industries. Some of the best papers presented at the 5th Conference on the Regulation of Infrastructures are presented in this issue of the Network Industries Quarterly.-- Interface between competition law and personal data: challenges and possibilities, Olga Batura -- Access to smart electricity systems for final customers, Lea Diestelmeier and Dirk Kuiken -- Institutional “tetris” in infrastructure regulation: Harmonizing governance, regulation and policy-making in the transport sector, Carlos Cruz and Joaquim Sarmento -- Digital Innovations in the Port Sector: Barriers and Facilitators, Vanetin Carlan,Thierry Vaneslander, Christa Sys and Athena Roumboutso