Fibre broadband puts Ofcom and EU head-to-head

A contretemps is reportedly emerging between the European Union and the UK's telecoms regulator Ofcom over the issue of super-fast fibre broadband lines.

With the British government showing concern that waiting for the industry to naturally bring in fibre-to-the-home connections could mean the economy suffers it seems that faster broadband is on its way in the UK.

But the EU is reportedly refusing to allow concessions by Ofcom to help kickstart the implementation of fibre optic lines, which could improve download speeds and the quality of bandwidth-heavy service such as video or voice calls (VoIP).

"I want regulation to encourage investment in future networks - regulatory holidays are not the solution," said the EU's information society and media commissioner Viviane Reding.

"What we need is appropriate regulation that safeguards competition while creating new incentives for investment."

This follows a summit called by the competitiveness minister Stephen Timms earlier this week which brought Ofcom and the government together with industry groups to work out a roadmap for the future of broadband in the UK.