Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU Member States have agreed on the EU-Gigabit Infrastructure Act.
This is a new law which seeks to speed up the expansion of fibre connections across Europe.
The move has been welcomed by some but not so by others. Centre right MEP Angelika Winzig, the lead negotiator for the EPP Group, is among those who is satisfied with the new draft law.
She said on Tuesday: “Let’s stop having a bad or no internet connection.”
“We need to accelerate the rollout of fibre across Europe. The EU-Gigabit Infrastructure Act will make an important contribution to this.”
“Existing infrastructure needs to be shared, thereby increasing competition and enabling the faster and cheaper deployment of high-performance networks. At the same time, we are trying to limit bureaucracy for cities and municipalities and speed up approval procedures.”
“It was particularly important for us to take into account the situation of smaller and rural communities. Many of them have already invested independently in fibre expansion – this pioneering work will be rewarded,” says Winzig.
The informal agreement still needs to be formally approved by EU Member States and the European Parliament.
However, the EU telecommunications industry says it is united in voicing strong concerns around the “Gigabit Infrastructure Act” Regulation and warns of unintended consequences if proposals are implemented in their current form.
A statement was issued by ecta, the European Competitive Telecommunications Association.
The European Commission, it says, originally intended for this Regulation to provide a way to reduce the cost and time of 5G and gigabit network roll-out.
“Instead, current negotiations risk turning it into a measure that penalises telecoms operators, without producing any real benefit in terms of administrative simplification,” says a statement.
“Key measures that would help speed up network roll-out are now being placed into doubt. These include so-called ‘tacit approvals’, which allow fibre installation when construction permits are not granted within a reasonable timeframe. Furthermore, the historic effort to invest in 5G and fibre across the EU will be undermined by proposals of aggressive and unjustified price regulation in competitive markets for intra-EU communications, without any impact assessment or evidence of market failure,” it went on to say.
“The provision of digital networks is not solely the concern of telecom companies: they are critical for the prosperity of the whole of Europe, providing the backbone of a modern, efficient and sustainable economy for European citizens.”
“Unless the original spirit of the European Commission proposal is preserved, the EU telecom industry believes that retaining current rules would be less damaging to network roll-out than implementing an ill-conceived Regulation. This risks leaving a damaging legacy on our sector under the remaining EU mandate,” concludes the statement from the industry.
