EU assembly rejects reform of telecoms rules

STRASBOURG, France, May 6 (Reuters) - The European Parliament rejected a major reform of EU telecoms rules on Wednesday due to concerns over the rights of Internet users.

Parliament was voting on three legislative proposals that comprise the reform.

EU states, which have joint say with the assembly, had given the green light but the rejection of one element means a return to the negotiating table on all of the package.

"When a single part is rejected the whole package will go to conciliation," said Catherine Trautmann, the French socialist who steered part of the reform through parliament.

The reform seeks to update existing EU telecoms rules drawn up before the big surge in broadband, Wifi and mobile phone usage as the bloc's 495 million citizens increasingly operate in a digital world. (Reporting by Huw Jones, editing by Dale Hudson)