Press Release: State aid: Commission clears French support scheme for ultra fast broadband networks

The European Commission has approved under EU state aid rules around €750 million of support for the deployment of very high speed broadband networks in France.

Consumers and businesses will benefit from speeds of 100 megabits per second for the use of enhanced internet services such as e-health, e-government, 3 D television, teleworking possibilities, e-learning and more. The scheme will further bridge the digital divide between rural and urban areas. The Commission concluded that the scheme is in line with the EU guidelines on state aid for broadband, in particular because aid will be given through public tenders only for areas where no comparable networks currently exist and because the subsidized network will be open to all interested users.