British Telecom given go ahead for super-fast broadband deployment
The Office of Communications (Ofcom), the government agency in the United Kingdom that oversees the telecommunications industry, made a ruling that allows British Telecom more flexibility in delivering fiber optic networks.
Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards declared:
"Our message today is clear: there are no regulatory barriers in the way of investment in super-fast broadband... We want to promote investment to support the widespread adoption of superfast broadband, but we want to balance that with the need for competition."
Both Connect and The Communication Workers, the two major unions representing communications professionals, have endorsed the ruling. Connect issued a statement:
"These changes in policy and regulation are aimed at creating the right framework for the deployment of next generation access (NGA) broadband in the UK... Connect has been calling for regulatory clarity and stability as an essential precondition to the stepping up of NGA investment. The statement indicates Ofcom's awareness of the current pace and scale of change in the telecoms market and there is acknowledgement of the limits of a purely market driven approach."
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