Uswitch comment on new Ofcom full fibre regulations

Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at Uswitch.com, says: “These new regulations are intended to boost the pace of the fibre rollout, which has come in for criticism from two parliamentary committees in recent months. 

“This does come at a cost though, with Openreach able to continue charging what it likes for its fastest services for at least the next ten years.

“Giving rivals access to Openreach’s network of telegraph poles and underground ducts is expected to cut the costs of installing new fibre by half, with the added benefit of reducing the need to dig up streets.

“Ofcom will also continue to regulate the cost that broadband providers can charge for entry level superfast services in areas where competition is limited. 

“Letting Openreach retire the old copper network when the new fibre system is in place is sensible and should cut costs for customers in the long run, but care needs to be taken to support particularly vulnerable customers during this transition.

“More consumers than ever are currently seeing the importance of a reliable broadband connection with millions working from home - so for this to work they need to have choice and the ability to switch between network providers.  

“Over five million households already have access to full-fibre broadband, but many of them are not currently signed up for it. There is no consumer benefit to having cables running past your house if you’re not connected to them. 

“Helping consumers upgrade to ultrafast services at competitive prices is imperative to make everyone’s digital experience better, and a smooth switching process will be a critical element of this.

“Government, regulators and industry should place equal weight to promoting take-up for the new technology as they do to rolling it out in the first place.”