Broadband is a key enabler of the data society, expanding productiveness and competitiveness throughout all sectors of the economic climate. not like conventional n- rowband connections, broadband presents excessive pace, always-on connections to the web and helps leading edge content material and providers. Direct buyer welfare profits from mass-market adoption of broadband around the european may perhaps simply succeed in 50 billion euros or extra every year. this is often particularly except the extra profound societal shifts that ubiquitous broadband may perhaps convey. it could possibly permit the person to distribute content material and concepts self sustaining of conventional media and produce jointly groups of curiosity with no regard to borders. Public coverage for broadband could have a huge effect on even if and the way speedy those bene?ts are realised. Getting coverage correct may possibly convey huge bene?ts for shoppers, ?rms and the economic system at huge; getting coverage flawed dangers s- ?ing either the rollout of broadband and new leading edge prone, and hence the realisation of the EU’s e-Europe imaginative and prescient. during this publication, we specialize in the residential marketplace for broadband entry in ecu international locations, analysing the present and potential point of pageant and dr- ing implications for public coverage. A key objective is to appreciate larger the relative value of facilities-based and access-based provision in fostering com- tition and selling take-up of broadband services.