4th Apr 2016 10:51
LONDON (Alliance News) - BT Chief Executive Gavin Patterson has written to Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, arguing UK ministers have not taken into account BT's promised investment in its broadband network, Sky reported Monday.
This follows the government's response to UK telecoms regulator Ofcom's digital communications review last week.
In the response published last week, the government said it "believes Ofcom should be firmly focused on taking whatever action is needed to correct the competition problems identified, and to promote the growth of the digital economy, however radical a change that might be."
Ofcom opted not to force a separation from the rest of BT the Openreach division, which installs and upkeeps a majority of the UK's broadband connections, despite calls to do so from BT's rivals, as part of its review. In the government's response to the review, it said it agreed with Ofcom's point of view that "the current relationship between BT and Openreach will not deliver the country?s needs for more competition, better innovation and better service".
Patterson is said to have been irritated by the government's response, Sky reported, prompting him to write to Whittingdale to argue ministers had not taken into account BT's promised investment in improving its network, and its planned introduction to its existing copper network in the form of g.fast, to be introduced later this year.
A spokesperson for BT confirmed that a letter was sent to the Culture Secretary last week.
"It was friendly in tone explaining how BT has ambitious plans to deliver ultrafast broadband to most of the UK. The UK is well ahead of its European peers when it comes to superfast broadband and we are keen to have regulatory certainty so that we can invest further in ultrafast broadband as well," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Shares in BT were up 0.8% at 442.31 pence Monday.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; [email protected]; @HanaSSAllNews
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