On Wednesday 7 July, the European Commission published a working document summarising the results of the assessment of the EU State aid rules for broadband network deployment, namely the Broadband Guidelines and the relevant provisions of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).
The evaluation concludes that, overall, the existing rules work well and are fit for purpose. However, adjustments may be necessary to take account of recent technological developments and to bring them in line with current EU policy objectives, including the ‘gigabit society’ in the EU by 2025 and the ‘digital compass’ by 2030.
The evaluation of the Broadband Guidelines, applicable since 2013, and the corresponding provisions of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), in force since 2014, was launched in June 2020.
The evaluation revealed the need for some adaptation of the existing rules, including clarification of certain concepts (such as mapping, public consultation, and wholesale prices), further streamlining and simplification, and adaptations to reflect current EU priorities.
Stakeholders would welcome an alignment of the intervention thresholds with the ‘gigabit society’ objectives and more guidance on compatible State aid measures for mobile network deployment and on measures to stimulate demand.
A public consultation on the draft revised guidelines will take place in autumn 2021.
The European Commission intends to adopt revised guidelines that will maintain the option for public authorities to intervene to ensure a just digital transformation of the EU, in line with the Next Generation EU programme and the Digital Strategy.
Link to the working document: https://bit.ly/3hIjC9F (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)