Brussels, 19/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 18 March, the EP's industry committee approved the agreement reached with the Council of Ministers on 24 February on measures to facilitate investment in broadband networks and reduce costs (see EUROPE 11026). Introducing these measures will mean that providers will be able to share the cost with any owners of physical infrastructure (gas, water, sewage, heating and transport services). MEPs also suggest introducing an EU-wide “broadband-ready” label to be used, on a voluntary basis, for buildings and apartments with access to high-speed in-house broadband infrastructure.
Rapporteur Edit Herczog (S&D, Hungary) explained that “this decision today aims to reduce the cost of deployment by reducing inefficiencies and exploiting synergies across networks. In these times of austerity, this is not costly, but just a smart way to build new infrastructure, sharing the cost between several sectors… It would simply mean putting particular focus on increased coordination, transparency and harmonising minimum tools”. Reducing costs will also help geographically isolated regions when broadband is introduced there. The rapporteur affirmed that, without broadband, “rural Europeans become second-class citizens without access to jobs, to information, to services or even to education”. The agreement will still need to be discussed and put to a vote at the plenary this April. (IL)