The European Commission (EC) has taken steps to clarify legal rules for electricity grid power cable use, with the aim of making it easier for such lines to be used in the delivery of Powerline (PLC) broadband technology.

"It will stimulate investment in network technology and reduce prices for consumers," Martin Selmayr, a Commission spokesman, told reporters on Friday.

"As we have penetration of electricity grids in almost all areas, this is an important element to bridge the electronic divide," Selmayr said.

It was a chance to introduce genuine infrastructure-based competition, as the EU has 200 million power lines running into houses, schools and businesses, the Commission said.

Sadly the move is unlikely to cause a dramatic u-turn for Powerline technology in the UK, which many believe to have been largely pushed out of viability with the rapid spread of ADSL.

For the past year UK Powerline has virtually drifted off the map, with next to nobody singing its praise anymore or attempting to promote it.