TELECOMMUNICATIONS : AGREEMENT TO REDUCE COST OF ENGINEERING FOR BROADBAND.

The European Parliament and the Council have reached an agreement to reduce the cost of broadband infrastructure during a second round of three-way talks held in Strasbourg. The directive discussed will ensure a minimum of coordination between network operators: telecoms, sanitation, energy and rail transport... in order to reduce the cost of civil engineering and therefore the cost of deploying broadband in Europe. According to the Commission, such coordination could save between 20% and 30% in engineering costs.

Under the terms of the agreement - reached in the middle of the night of 24 February - broadband operators would be able to access "promptly," via a single information point, information on the location, route, size, type and current use, name of owner and a contact point for existing infrastructure, says the text. Similar information would be available for infrastructure work that is under way.

"In these times of austerity, this is not...