Press Release: State aid: Commission endorses public funding for broadband communications in Midlands and South West of England

The European Commission on 6 October 2005 authorised, under EU state aid rules, a UK broadband project which aimed at bridging the 'digital divide' between certain areas of England that currently had fast Internet access and those that did not. The initiative was to bring broadband communications to West Midlands, East Midlands and South West England, which were currently underserved, allowing citizens and businesses to exploit the benefits of broadband technology. The European Commission concluded that the aid was not likely to cause undue distortion of competition within the Single Market and was therefore compatible with EC Treaty state aid rules (Article 87).