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BT 'should pay for super-fast broadband'

Posted 3rd November 2009 at 12:31pm by Kimberley Howson

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BT 'should pay for super-fast broadband'

Broadband provider BT should be made to pay for the provision of next-generation services, it has been claimed.

As reported by Wales Online, Vtesse Chief Executive Aidan Paul said the government must drop its plans for a 50p a month tax on fixed phone lines and instead charge BT, which owns much of the national telephony infrastructure.

He said the levy – which is designed to fund super-fast broadband access – could prove prohibitive to private investors and grant BT an unfair market advantage.

Mr Paul told MPs that BT's business rates bill had dropped by 27 per cent since 2006, suggesting that it would be simpler to prevent further reductions and use the excess to finance the 2012 goal.

Earlier this week, Charles Trotman, head of rural business development at the Country Land and Business Association, claimed that it should be a "legal obligation" for broadband to be provided across the UK.

More news on: BT, Broadband speeds, Broadband coverage, Future developments

2 comments

  • 1

    Steve, 3rd November 2009.

    ...and why don't we make Tarmac pay for road repairs and do away with road tax, or what about making Transco pay for your VAT on your gas bill. Why should a private company have to pay for a service "you" want? Imagine going into Tesco and saying I need a loaf of bread, how much will you pay me to take it off your hands?

    Or better still, the government could make Tesco give away all of its stock to Asda, so that Asda can sell it and make all the profit from Tesco's investment.

    Some people!

    Reply
  • 2

    Jon, 4th November 2009.

    @steve Neither of those analogies apply - because Tarmac don't own the roads or get paid when people use them, if they did then yes I think we'd have a right to expect them to pay for upgrades.

    Reply

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