Funded under the European Territorial Cooperation INTERREG IVC Programme, Regions for Better Broadband Connection innovative project aims to tackle the difficulties of implementing broadband connections in remote or disadvantaged areas.

The project will match less experienced with more advanced regions with regard to broadband implementation in remote and rural areas mainly through Structural Funds.

It follows EU research which found only 60-70% of businesses and households in remote and rural areas of the EU have broadband. This compares to over 90% in more urban areas.
Broadband access is both an opportunity, because it creates new prospects for development especially in the more isolated regions and a challenge because of the digital divide to overcome. It has become a prerequisite for economic growth and social inclusion, but it has yet to reach some of the EU’s less-developed areas. Where it is available, broadband speeds are often lower in rural areas, reducing the performance of the available services. Over the last decade many regions addressed the issues of building an Information Society and of overcoming digital divide by providing broadband connections, thus acquiring very good practices.

More information: www.b3regions.eu