European Union: Adopted Council and Parliament Agreement on Gigabit Infrastructure Act

On 6 February 2024, the Council of the European Union and the Parliament of the European Union adopted an agreement on the Regulation on measures to reduce the cost of deploying gigabit electronic communications networks (Gigabit Infrastructure Act). The Act aims to facilitate and stimulate the implementation of very high-capacity networks by promoting the joint use of existing physical infrastructure and by enabling a more efficient deployment of new physical infrastructure to ensure that the networks can be rolled out faster and at a lower cost. The Act aims to ensure faster, more reliable, data-intense connectivity and would replace the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive (2014). The agreement introduces several amendments to the Council's position, including a mandatory conciliation mechanism between public sector bodies and telecom operators, exceptions to the provisions for smaller municipalities, promotions for connectivity in rural and remote areas and conditions for fair and reasonable network access.