The European Commission wants feedback on draft guidelines for public...

state aid policy in the broadband sector focuses on providing well-designed aid targeted at market failures and objectives of common European interests, and at making faster decisions, it said. The proposal makes several substantive changes to the 2009 document, the EC said. It: (1) Aligns the guidelines to digital agenda objectives by proposing more flexibility for granting public support to ultra-fast networks in areas where slower, interim technological solutions are already available, while requiring genuine added value in terms of additional services. (2) Fine-tunes the effective wholesale access obligations with regard to next-generation access networks and extends it to passive infrastructure such as ducts and street cabinets. The draft also proposes to clarify and strengthen the position of national telecom regulators, particularly in the areas of next-generation access and ultra-fast networks. It also calls for EU governments to create a central webpage where all information on planned, ongoing or implemented publicly-funded broadband projects is posted, the EC said. Comments are due Sept. 3. Cable Europe urged caution on the use of European public funds, saying they should be spent “where citizens are not being served by connectivity at all.” Any prospective allocation of public money should be subject to a rigorous assessment of the particular circumstances, to avoid hampering private investment and causing market distortions, it said. The European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association agreed, saying public financing for buildout of high-speed broadband networks should be limited to those areas “where no private investment is foreseen."