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Saturday, March 13, 2010

Neelie Kroes Limburg speech on high-speed Internet


The second half is where it becomes regulatory policy-oriented: "Good networks and broad coverage are fundamental pre-conditions for getting Europe back to growth. Many Member States' governments are currently in a state of reflection about the challenges posed by broadband and the transition to new high-speed broadband, and are coming up with their individual proposals. To mention a few France Numérique 2012 and Digital Britain have put forward their targets for broadband coverage. And the Breitbandstrategie in Germany calls for connections of 50 Mbps to serve 75 % of the population by 2014.
"We need that national action; but we need European coordination alongside it. That is how we will maximise benefits from the EU Single Market, and make investments more attractive to private investors. So the European Council's call for a unifying broadband strategy represents an important opportunity. Building on that, the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth makes clear that not only should there be "broadband for all" by 2013 - by 2020 all Europeans should have access to much higher internet speeds (30Mbps or more) and fifty percent or more of European households should have access above 100Mbps. There are many horizontal challenges for promoting high-speed broadband throughout Europe:
  • High-quality in addition to high-speed
  • Consumers should also know real speeds, not theoretical speeds. They feel ripped-off when they get broadband at half, or less, than the advertised speed
  • A regulatory framework that promotes private investment in next generation networks
  • Maintaining close links to regional and local authorities and prudent use of EU budgets, which is crucial to including rural areas
  • Seamless convergence between fixed and wireless is also needed in order to deliver greater productivity. First-class wireless broadband is vital for rural areas
  • And finally – we will not forget that the internet is most useful when it is open, so that innovation and interoperability flourish."

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