The European Commission (EC) believes it can cut the cost of deploying high-speed broadband networks by a quarter, but only if the public gets on board.
It has opened a public consultation into how to cut the cost of deploying fiber networks, with a particular eye on civil engineering works, which the Commission estimates account for up to 80% of the total rollout outlay. The EC believes a lack of coordination on the engineering side is one of the main reasons for the high cost, digital agenda commissioner Neelie Kroes says.
“We need to test practical ideas on how to cut costs and how to make it easier to access, re-use and share this infrastructure,” Kroes explains, adding. “There is nothing more annoying for citizens than road-digging, and nothing more annoying to businesses than pointless red tape.”
The consultation seeks to establish the public’s view on current obstacles to broadband investment, ways to improve use of current infrastructure, coordinating civil works, and the readiness of new buildings for high-speed networks.