Background and aim
Background of the proposal is the EC's Digital Agenda for Europe, in which EC Vice President Neelie Kroes set out the ambition to realise broadband access of 30 Mbps for all households; by 2020, at least 50% of all households should have access to a speed of 100 Mbps. The Regulation aims to reduce the costs of rolling-out high speed networks with 30%. The EC estimates that its proposal could save companies EUR 40 to 60 million.
The proposed Regulation has four aims:
- Ensuring that new or renovated buildings are high-speed-broadband-ready.
- Opening access to infrastructure on fair and reasonable terms and conditions, including price, to existing ducts, conduits, manholes, cabinets, poles, masts, antennae installations, towers and other supporting constructions.
- Ending insufficient coordination of civil works, by enabling any network operator to negotiate agreements with other infrastructure providers.
- Simplifying complex and time-consuming permit granting, especially for masts and antennas, by granting or refusing permits within six months by default and allowing requests to be made through a single point of contact.
The Regulation will try to achieve these objectives by providing for minimum rights and obligations in order to facilitate the rollout of high-speed electronic communications networks and cross-sector coordination.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
