BT monopoly to be ended to deliver superfast broadband
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: In order to deliver superfast†broadband to the majority of Britain’s homes by 2017, the Conservatives claimed to loosen the grip of BT on the local telephone network besides using a parts of the BBC license fee.
According to shadow chancellor George Osborne, the Conservatives would support changes to the regulatory framework, adding that private investors being allowed to pay for better cabling would encourage competition.
3.5% of the license fee currently used to pay for digital switchover could be diverted to pay for broadband expansion in case the market fails to deliver them. The party also feels that UK can be the first leading European country to have speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps) by using market-based solutionsâ€.
Analysis: Telecom Bill Unlikely Under New Congress
At least one analyst firm believes the Democratic turn in Congress could bring more scrutiny to telecommunications issues, particularly merger activity and possibly spectrum, but it won’t bring a major shift in telecommunications policy in general.
“We believe Democratic victories in the mid-term elections point to more congressional focus on telecom and media hearings and oversight, and less emphasis on enacting major new laws, though the digital TV transition is one possible legislative driver,” said Blair Levin, managing director at Stifel Nicolaus, in an analysts’ note this morning.
The note added that the firm believes sweeping telecom reform legislation is unlikely anytime soon in a newly constituted Congress, and that not many telecom-related bills will get attention in the upcoming lame-duck session this month.
“We are skeptical that the next Congress will be in a position to enact sweeping telecom/media reforms that favor one sector or another, as we’re dubious there will be the industry consensus and political will for such an overhaul,” according to the note.
With House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., being replaced by Nancy Pelosi, D- Calif., the emphasis on legislation could shift from Bell companies to more Web-oriented companies such as Google, Amazon.com and others, according to the analyst.
On the merger front, Levin says the Democrats will bring more scrutiny to big deals and call for more oversight. That process already could be rolling at the FCC, as The Washington Post ran an opinion column today by FCC Commissioner Michael Copps calling for a more cohesive broadband policy and for the FCC to step up its monitoring of broadband expansion, lamenting that the United States is 15th on an international list in broadband distribution.
Source- wirelessweek Wireless Mobile Telecom
