European Commissioner Neelie Kroes (Digital Agenda) on Monday presented plans for a common EU approach on ultra-fast broadband and mobile networks. She announced that the European Commission has adopted a Recommendation indicating to national telecoms regulators how they should regulate third-party competitive access to ultra-fast fibre networks (also known as 'next generation access' -- NGA -- networks) that bring high-speed broadband connections to homes and workplaces.
Regulators should apply the new guidance in their daily decision making as soon as the text has been published in the EU's Official Journal. Under the telecoms Framework Directive (2002/21/EC) they are obliged to take "utmost account of the Commission's Recommendation, justifying any departure from it. The Recommendation provides regulatory clarity to telecom operators, ensuring an appropriate balance between the need to encourage investment and the need to safeguard competition. It will help to stimulate investment in competitive high-speed broadband networks, which is a key objective of the Commission's Digital Agenda for Europe and Europe 2020 strategy. The Recommendation forms part of a package of broadband measures.
