Sweden’s parliament has adopted a law which aims to promote broadband deployment, based on an EU directive. The new law is designed to lower costs for the expansion of broadband and to support the coordination of various parties involved in deploying, accessing, providing or sharing fixed and wireless broadband infrastructure, regulator PTS reports.
The Act gives rights to those who want to develop broadband, including:
• the right to access information about the infrastructure and construction projects
• the right to request access to other infrastructure
• the right to coordinate construction projects with other building owners (‘the right applies if the latter is a public body, or if the project is financed by public funds’).
Similarly, obligations are imposed on infrastructure owners, including obligations to provide information, provide access to infrastructure and to coordinate deployment. However, there are opportunities for the broadband system operator, under certain conditions, to deny access, the PTS adds. The regulator notes that when the law comes into force on 1 July 2016, new procedures will be needed for dealing with dispute resolution and enforcement, whilst a new portal is being launched for coordinating/sharing infrastructure.
Besides telecoms infrastructure itself, the new rules under the ‘Law on Measures for the Development of Broadband Networks’ also cover access to/information on civil/other infrastructure in areas such as transport, sewerage, electricity and heating.