Liikanen outlines key principles for national broadband strategies
Erkki Liikanen, EU Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society, has called on Member States to take action and design a 'clear map' for the implementation of their national broadband strategies. Speaking at the informal Telecoms Council on 4 September, Mr Liikanen said that in order to meet the objective - set at the Spring Summit - of putting in place a national broadband strategy by the end of 2003, Member States must concentrate on devising a set of guiding principles to ensure widespread broadband take up. 'We need a clear map. That is what we did in the sixties, in those countries with vast and scarcely populated areas, to ensure electricity would become available everywhere,' said the Commissioner. Mr Liikanen went on to explain that there were three important steps in the process of broadband deployment. The first step of the map is to analyse in detail the geographical areas where broadband is already available and to identify under-served areas. The second step, according to the Commissioner, is an assessment of how different technologies can be used to achieve full coverage. 'There is no single technology able to ensure a complete coverage of the whole of the EU. Only through an approach based on multiple and interoperable platforms will we be able to achieve full geographical coverage,' argued Mr Liikanen. The Commissioner suggested that the deployment of different technologies such as digital TV; wireless technologies, satellite; powerline, as well as asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) technology and cable, should facilitate coverage of even the most rural and less populated areas. The final, and one of the most crucial elements of any national strategy, Mr Liikanen explained, is ensuring a competitive marketplace, all the while respecting technological neutrality. For this, Mr Liikanen said that it is essential to analyse the market forces to guarantee the availability of broadband and to identify when public intervention is required. The Commission will compile a report on the progress made by Member States on their national strategies, which will be presented to the EU's Heads of State and Government at the 2004 Spring Summit.