Broadband Gap
Broadband gap policy is concerned with the geographical aspects of the digital divide among EU regions. This policy seeks to bridge the gap of access, speed, quality of service and price in broadband between urban and rural/remote areas.
The European Commission aims to achieve 100 % high-speed internet coverage for all citizens by 2010 as part of the European Economic Recovery Plan.
Broadband gap policy
State aid: Commission adopts Guidelines for broadband networks
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Consultation on the state aid rules
on the Commission's Broadband Guidelines on the application of EU state aid rules to public funding of broadband networks was open until 22 June 2009 here. Press release
1.02 bn € for broadband
The European leaders allocated 1.02 bn € for broadband through the
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) on 20 March
2009.
Target of 100% broadband coverage
The European Council has
also agreed on to achieve 100% broadband coverage in the EU by
2010-2013:
European Commission proposals
This way the EU Member
States endorsed the proposals of the European Commission, which in
January 2009 proposed to earmark € 1 billion to help rural areas get
online, bring new jobs and help businesses grow.
Furthermore, in March 2009 the Commission
outlined how it would use its own support programmes to boost
internet networks and services in rural areas, and called on EU
Member States to do the same. Connecting the 30% of the EU's rural
population that has no high speed internet access should be a
priority for achieving 'broadband for all' by 2010.
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The
EU’s regulatory framework for electronic communications (today’s EU
telecom rules) aims at stimulating competition and therefore investment and
innovation while increasing consumers’ choice.
The Commission’s work on coordinating spectrum policy in Europe may also facilitate the development of wireless broadband services, which are particularly suitable for remote and rural areas.
The 2006 Communication “Bridging the broadband gap” represented a strong commitment to providing broadband to all Europeans. It recommended the use of all possible policy, budgetary and regulatory instruments, including EU information society policy and telecom rules, state aid rules and EU structural and rural funds.
The Communication identifies the exchange of
best practices and the strengthening of synergies among relevant EU
policies as main avenues for action for the delivery of broadband to
rural, remote and less developed regions of the European Union.
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Communication “Bridging the broadband gap", March 2006
Annex 1: Digital Divide Forum Report
654 kBAnnex 2: Digital Divide Forum: Summary Conclusions of Public Consultation
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European Parliament: Report on "Building a European policy on broadband", June 2007
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Committee of the Regions: Opinion on "Bridging the broadband gap" Communication, February 2007
The Commission has also long been encouraging EU Member
States to adopt and implement
national broadband strategies
(COM
2004 369 and
Annex: Staff working
paper, SEC 2004 599
) to stimulate the supply and the demand side of
the market whenever identified as a national priority.
European broadband portal
Public authorities and ICT industry cooperate to bridge the
broadband gap in under-served areas
The European Broadband Portal is European Commission action financed
under the framework of the i2010 initiative. It aims to facilitate
the dialogue between regional and local actors and the ICT industry
in overcoming the digital divide between urban and rural areas and
bring high-speed internet access to all Europeans, in particular to
the less-developed regions of the European Union.
The European Broadband Portal provides its users with access to:
• News features updates daily, news alerts, and a monthly
newsletter; Calendar and schedule of events;
• User notice board, WiKi and user surveys;
• Chat forums and on-line thematic discussion groups on digital
divide issues;
• Searchable databases of:
• Broadband projects,
• Broadband strategies & action plans,
• Calls for tender and pre-notifications of projects,
• ICT industry notices on broadband projects,
• Legal/regulatory decisions.
Synergies with other policies
The new
Information and
Communication Technologies programme (part of the 7th Framework
Programme of Research) supports ICT research in the areas of
productivity and innovation, modernisation of public services,
advances in science and technology. Research work in the filed of
ICT infrastructure is carried out under the
"challenge 1":
Pervasive and trusted network and service infrastructures.
The new strategic guidelines for
cohesion and
rural development for 2007-2013 urge managing authorities to adopt such
strategic approach and call for the mainstreaming of the information society
into the development plans of both policy contexts. Cohesion and rural
development policies represent the main budgetary instruments for tackling the
digital divide among EU regions and implementing broadband gap policy.
An increased coordination of
i2010 and regional policy is foreseen under the initiative
Regions for Economic Change (RfEC) which aims to help
regional authorities to implement the renewed Lisbon and
Gothenburg agendas. RfEC includes two thematic networks on ICT
which aim to contribute to improve regional capacity in the ICT
field particularly among less-developed regions:
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Regions for Better Broadband Connection ("B3 Regions") - aims to increase access and use of ICT/broadband in underserved areas;
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PIKE (Protecting Innovation and the Knowledge Economy) - project on eGovernment.
Study on Availability of Access to Computer Networks in Rural Areas
State Aid Broadband Decisions
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See also: State Aid and Telecommunications
Three articles on
state aid and broadband deployment
417 kB, from the EC Competition Policy Newsletter (2007, number 3):
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Public procurement and State aid control — the issue of economic advantage (Case N 46/2007 “Welsh Public Sector Network Scheme”, United Kingdom, of 30.5.2007)
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Margin squeeze in the Spanish broadband market: a rational and profitable strategy
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Municipal wireless networks and State aid rules: Insights from “Wireless Prague”
Synergies with transport and energy policies: Commission communication on Trans-European networks: Towards an integrated approach.
Monitoring and data
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Broadband access in the EU: situation at 1 July 2009
Broadband Performance Index -
EUROSTAT Information Society Statistics for Households and Enterprises
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For analyses and figures on broadband coverage and take-up in Europe, see the annexes to the latest i2010 Annual Report (Staff working paper, Key ICT indicators).
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For broadband data, see the Benchmarking section
Events
European Regions for Better ICT
Connections, 1-2 April 2009, Turin, Italy
The
Piedmont Region organised a two-day European event focused on the
theme of regional policy, broadband strategy and ICT development.
Conference website
RegioStars 2010 Awards
The
RegioStars 2010 Awards
were launched in February 2009 at the close of the Regions for
Economic Change conference. The deadline for receipt of applications
is 17 July 2009.
Bridging the Broadband Gap: Benefits of broadband for rural areas and less developed regions: 14 - 15 May 2007
For presentations, webstreams, conference
conclusions and more, see the
conference website
and
conference conclusion
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Further information
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For further enquiries, send an e-mail to: infso-i2010[at]ec.europa.eu
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IANIS+ survey on the creation of a virtual broadband exchange (2006). Results of the Survey
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