EU announces high-speed broadband deal

The European Union has announced it will spend €1 billion (£820 million) on improving broadband connectivity across the continent.

While the budget for the scheme is substantially less than first thought, with initial deals surrounding the proposal expected to provide €9.2 billion in investment, there has been relief it has now passed through European Parliament.

Projects will now be able to apply to the Connecting Europe Facility with information about how their plans will benefit members of the public and - if successful - recipients could be given tens of millions of pounds in funding, reports PC Advisor.

But to receive this money, organisations will have to prove their plans are viable and "state-of-the-art" enough to warrant the EU's attention - something that has proven to be a stumbling block for many applicants before.

Many areas of the EU have been hit by funding cuts in recent years, with lowered contributions from some member states widely blamed for the austerity policy.