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Originally Posted by Stuart C
Oh, I don't doubt the benefits of the technology. I was just making the point that BT don't invest that kind of money unless there is competition. Put BT in a position where they can remove that competition (which, if Ofcom removed the protection from the cable companies, they would be doing) and BT would have little or no incentive to invest.
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Point being cablecos have been protected long enough and the point of regulation was to prevent BT abusing the monopoly they were given when privatised. A rebuild of infrastructure of this magnitude would remove the last excuse, the inherited copper loop, for keeping BT under shackles.
You ignored the above as well, UPC are doing ok in Sweden despite not having the Swedish government order BBB / B2 not to lay fibre, quite the opposite it was encouraged and aided.
Japan despite extensive fibre to the home also has cable companies that are ticking along.
The whole theory of big bad BT doesn't wash, cable has had two decades to get its' act together and if it still can't compete in an open market place there's really no place for it anyway.
If the cable company is being inept that's their problem and shouldn't need government holding back other companies to keep them in business.
If BT are prepared to invest 9 or 10 figures which has nothing to do with public money in infrastructure it should not be subject to the same restrictions as the networks that were left by privatisation.