Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/05/digital_review_hints/
BT to be freed from service obligations
Government flies kite
Posted in Telecoms, 5th January 2009 10:32 GMT
Free webcast: Service level monitoring and management
Communications minister Lord Carter is to free BT from its universal service obligations - its legal duty to run a phone line to every home in the country, as well as provide payphones and other basic services available at a reasonable cost.
Instead Carter is expected to call for universal broadband access, wireless or wired, for every home to be an obligation for the industry as a whole.
BT has been asking for years (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03/21/bt_uso/) to be freed from USO - the most recent reason being costs of setting up its new network, 21CN.
Carter is due to deliver his Digital Review later this month and the Times (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article5439268.ece) expects it to follow at least in part the French model, where operators all contribute a levy to help pay for basic services for disadvantaged or remote customers.
The Digital Review is also looking at the future of DAB radio and Channel 4's funding. ®