UK government refuses to act on Net access costs

The Government has confirmed it sees there is no reason for it to intervene in the marketplace and force telcos to cut the cost of Net access. Responding to an adjournment motion today in the House of Commons Michael Wills MP said it wasn't up to the government to adjudicate in such matters. He said it was up to the market to decide. And recent developments including the launch of screaming.net and BTInternet's weekend-only toll-free access were clear signs that market forces were at work. "Competition is the best way forward," said Wills "and companies are free to offer what they want." "You have to ask yourself, is the cost of net access affecting the take-up? "The short answer is no," he said. Today's motion on the regulation of telecommunications and the growth of the Internet showed that the Labour Government has taken a stand-offish conservative approach to the issue. ®