Ofcom is looking at BT’s broadband costs, with the regulator considering cutting what the company can charge for its leased telecoms lines.
Any cuts would lead to businesses, school, universities and broadband operators making significant savings. It has been suggested that this could also mean good news for regular consumers, but this is far from a certainty.
Ofcom has launched a consultation around the issue, which is due to close next month. It follows a review which found that BT has ‘significant’ market power.
The results of the consultation will be revealed in the first quarter of 2016, and any proposed price drops will come into effect from April 2016 onwards.
Unlike the majority of consumers, BT isn’t too impressed with the move.
“We believe there should be less regulation in this market, not more, as businesses already have diverse and growing choice amongst a large number of providers,” said the telecoms giant.
“These are proposals for discussion, so we’ll be making our views known to Ofcom. We don’t expect a final decision for some time.”
Earlier this week, Ofcom ruled that customers with slow broadband speeds will be able to switch providers without being penalised by company they’re contracted with.
SEE ALSO: Broadband too slow? Now you can switch penalty-free
Previously, many customers were forced to accept termination fees to cancel their service, even if it wasn’t satisfactory.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
