EU denies holding back UK superfast broadband roll-out
EU denies holding back UK superfast broadband roll-out
The European Union’s competition commissioner, Joaquín Almunia, has denied Britain’s claims that Brussels bureaucracy delayed the roll-out of fast broadband across the UK.
Mr Almunia’s comments were aimed squarely at UK Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, who had criticised Brussels for standing in the way of the roll-out. He claimed that “Brussels bureaucrats worked faster than their London colleagues” in ensuring public cash could increase investment needed to bring superfast broadband to rural regions.
The UK has so far invested £530 million in public funds into the roll-out of superfast broadband while the roll-out waited for approval from Brussels. We only received approval for the project early in November. The project has been seen as a central part of the UK’s economic growth plans, but the delay cost us dearly, according to Ms Miller. She said that she was forced to intervene to bring “the rural broadband programme out from under stifling EU bureaucracy”.
She was made Culture Secretary in the reshuffle of the government in September, succeeding Jeremy Hunt, who did not manage to expedite the approval process in Brussels.
Mr Almunia said that the EU was not to blame for the delay. Speaking to the Financial Times, he said “Politicians on both sides of the Channel must avoid red tape, but the real origin of the delays ... should also be made clear.”
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