In 2007, eris@ (European Regional Information Society Association), an entity dependent on the European Commission, held its annual conference in Brussels where under the banner of “Bridging the Broadband Gap”, it was determined that more information had to be publicized to foster the exchange of proper procedures throughout the ambit of the broadband market, with the overall objective of reducing the breach between rural areas and the rest of the community.
Among the proposed measures was the creation of the European Broadband Portal. Its objectives were to provide access to relevant information on areas such as policy, regulations, meeting demand, planning and rolling out broadband service in rural or remote areas and under-developed regions. In this way, the entity aimed to blaze a trail towards the aperture and transparency of the broadband market in Europe, acting as a virtual meeting point for ICT providers and public authorities. Spenta Consulting was selected as a technology partner for the development and operative maintenance of the MOSS-based portal.
In 2008, the annual conference of eris@ held in Cardiff saw the official presentation of the portal.