The bloc wants to cut red tape and reduce costs in order to accelerate the rollout of 5G networks.
This week Reuters reported that it had seen a leaked European Commission (EC) document outlining initiatives in support of an EU-wide rollout of 5G networks and broadband coverage to meet the targets of the European Digital Decade.
The document asserts that the Commission wants to cut red tape and costs to help telecom operators such as Deutsche Telekom, Orange and Telecom Italia to deploy ultra-fast communication networks.
The EC has previously stated that it wants all Europeans to have access to gigabit connectivity and 75 percent of EU companies to use cloud infrastructure or artificial intelligence technology by 2030. The new omnibus plan to achieve these goals, the Gigabit Infrastructure Act, is expected to be announced on February 10.
Streamlined process with reduced costs
Access to public buildings, coordination of civil works, streamlining of permit procedures and single information points are at the centre of the proposed legislation. For example, the measure states that telecom providers can access physical infrastructure owned or controlled by public sector bodies irrespective of its location under fair and reasonable terms.
“Several of the proposed changes aim to make rules and procedures more clear, streamlined and simple, allow parties to easily understand their rights and obligations and seek to promote synergies”, the document said.
The Gigabit Infrastructure Act is a revision of the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive (BCRD). That Directive was adopted in 2014 to reduce costs and red tape for deploying high-speed digital infrastructure. However, it had the drawback of needing to be transposed into national law in each member state. This prompted the Commission to move toward a regulation that does not need require such transposition.
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