Evaluation of the State Aid rules for broadband infrastructure deployment

Summary:

Report published by the European Commission on 7 July 2021, summarising the results of an evaluation of the European Union's State aid rules for the deployment of broadband networks.

Further information:

State subsidy rules on the broadband sector aim to support the deployment of high-speed broadband networks that are competition-driven. This ensures that public funding is steered towards areas that need it most (mainly rural and remote regions), and prevents private investment from being crowded out.

The analysis includes an assessment of the Broadband Guidelines and the corresponding provisions of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER). It concluded that, overall, the existing rules work well and are fit for purpose. However, some adjustments might be necessary to adapt the rules to the latest technological progress and to align them with the latest EU policy objectives.

The Broadband Guidelines started applying in 2013, while the corresponding GBER provisions started applying in 2014. The assessment to these rules was launched in June 2020.

Official

EUR-LEX: SWD(2021)195: Staff Working Document accompanying the Report - Executive Summary of the Evaluation https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=SWD:2021:195:FIN

European Commission: Consultations: Broadband network deployment – evaluation of EU state aid rules https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12398-Broadband-network-deployment-evaluation-of-EU-state-aid-rules_en

European Commission: Press Release, 07/07/2021: State aid: Commission publishes results of evaluation of EU State aid rules for deployment of broadband networks https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_3545

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