The European Commission has launched yet another consultation—this time to define how access to existing infrastructure should be granted under the new Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA). But beneath the technical surface lies a strategic push to rewrite access rules and strengthen the position of incumbent operators.

Questionnaire

Consultation on guidance on the application of the Gigabit Infrastructure Act

Deadline for submitting contributions: 17 September 2025.

The GIA was initially introduced as a technical instrument to facilitate and accelerate the deployment of very high-capacity networks across Europe. However, the consultation on Article 3 reveals a broader political objective: centralising control over access conditions, weakening symmetric regulation, and providing a legal shield for dominant players.

This is not about simplifying procedures. It is about redefining what constitutes “fair and reasonable” access—potentially making it prohibitively expensive or legally uncertain for small and medium-sized operators to access passive infrastructure. The language of the questionnaire makes the intent clear: the European Commission is collecting justifications to allow differentiated treatment, discriminatory pricing, and restrictions based on “business plans” or “network investment strategies.”

When combined with the upcoming DNA proposal, the review of the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC), and the revision of the Recommendation on Relevant Markets, this consultation forms yet another tactical element in a broader strategy: to dismantle the current telecom framework based on open, competitive access and replace it with a model favouring vertically integrated mega-operators—handpicked and empowered by Brussels.