WIK-Consult / ICF online workshop on 16 and 18 June 2021

Review of the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive

Preliminary results of the evaluatin and impact assessment

WIK-Consult, together with ICF and eco-act have been tasked with providing support to the European Commission on the review of the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive, through a study (VIGIE 2020-0647) which will provide input to the evaluation of the current Directive and to the impact assessment of a potential new legislative instrument.

In this context, we are organising a public online workshop, at which we will present the preliminary findings from the study and seek views from stakeholders on a number of options for the revision of the Directive.

The workshop will be organised over two days – the 16 and 18 June. While the 16 June will focus on access to physical infrastructure, in-building infrastructure and the provision of relevant information via the Single Information Point, the 18 June will focus on permit granting, co-ordination of civil works and potential options to promote the deployment of sustainable electronic communications networks. Issues to be discussed include:

Whether to expand the scope of the physical infrastructure access obligations beyond assets that are part of a network, for instance covering street furniture and other public and potentially private buildings and structures.
Whether to provide further guidance on the application of pricing principles for access to physical infrastructure or on the apportioning of costs for civil works co-ordination.
Whether to make compulsory or to expand the requirements to provide information to Single Information Points to other types of entities or assets – and whether to expand the scope of information to be provided.
How to make co-ordination of civil-works more effective.
Whether to expand and/or clarify the scope of provisions concerning permit granting, and whether to make further provisions to limit the administrative burdens associated with permit granting procedures and potentially rights of way.
Whether to request FTTH-ready in-building infrastructure for new and renovated buildings, and streamline, revise or provide guidance on the conditions under which access to in-building infrastructure should be provided.
How to incentivise the deployment of environmentally sustainable networks.
What might be the best mechanisms from an institutional perspective to ensure the efficient application of the provisions of the Directive and support co-ordination in cases where there are multiple bodies involved.

A significant proportion of the time will be given to hearing the thoughts of workshop participants on these issues.

A full programme for the event including the questions we plan to cover for each topic can be found here ...