Brussels, 26/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has authorised a broadband initiative by the Austrian Land of Kärnten to enable citizens and businesses to have access to fast Internet connections in areas which do not currently have it. Although the scheme also supports advanced broadband services for professional users, the Commission concluded that the aid was not likely to distort competition significantly within the EU. Broadband is not currently available in the target areas in Kärnten because they are mainly rural and geographically remote, making them unattractive for commercial investment by broadband providers. The Austrian authorities have implemented a number of safeguards (such as selecting service providers through open tendering; wholesale access provision; repayment mechanism) to ensure that the aid is kept to a minimum.