Brussels, 16/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 12 June, the European Commission launched a public consultation on its revised proposals for the regulation of Next Generation Access (NGA) broadband networks, in the form of a draft Commission Recommendation. The objective is to develop a pan-EU common regulatory approach, which telecoms regulators would adapt to national market conditions. The approach proposed by the Commission seeks to drive infrastructure-based competition where it is possible and efficient, while ensuring a seamless migration from copper to fibre-based networks. The draft recommendation forms part of the European Broadband Strategy that the March European Council invited the Commission to develop by the end of 2009.
A previous public consultation held during the last quarter of 2008 confirmed general support for the objective is to achieve a common regulatory framework for NGA in order to foster timely investment in very high speed networks while ensuring that the competitive structure of the market is maintained. In the light of comments from stakeholders, the revised draft recommendation includes mechanisms to allocate the investment risk between investors and operators seeking access to NGA networks. Under the draft recommendation, deployment by the dominant operator of multiple fibres could justify less stringent regulatory obligations. The competitive advantage of having multiple fibres in the ground is that it allows immediate and undistorted infrastructure competition, the Commission says. The public consultation will be open until 24 July 2009. The Commission plans to adopt the recommendation, taking account of comments received, before the end of 2009. (I.L./transl.rt)