Brussels, 25/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 24 February, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers reached an agreement on the measures proposed by the European Commission to facilitate investment in broadband electronic communication networks by bringing costs down.
The aim of the regulation is to allow broadband service companies to share the plans and costs related to setting broadband infrastructure in place with the companies tasked with managing public-service networks. The rapporteur of the EP, Edit Herczog (S&D, Hungary), welcomed the agreement, which will make it possible to roll out broadband infrastructure without wasting any funds, thanks to a smart cost-sharing system: “This decision today aims to reduce the cost of deployment by reducing inefficiencies and exploiting synergies across networks (…). It would simply mean putting particular focus on increased coordination, transparency and harmonising minimum tools”, she said.
This cost-saving would make it possible to deploy broadband in rural areas as well, allowing people who live in the most remote regions to have access to information, services and even education (“E-learning”) in exactly the same way as citydwellers. Among the examples of networks which could include broadband connections are networks used for electricity services, gas, sewage and waste water treatment, heating and transport, but not drinking water networks. Broadband companies should be able to access, “promptly” and through a single point of contact, information on the location, route, size, type and current use of existing infrastructure, as well as the name of the owner and a contact point. Similar information would be available about infrastructure work that is planned and underway. Access to this information should be denied only if security or fundamental public or individual interests are at risk. All newly-constructed public buildings and public multi-dwelling buildings, including social housing, should be equipped with in-house infrastructure ready for broadband connection. The EP also proposed a “broadband-ready label” at European level, on a voluntary basis, for buildings and apartments with access to high-speed in-house broadband. (IL/transl.fl)