BT has played down damning action by the telecoms watchdog to split up the company for failing to address competition concerns.
Chairman Sir Mike Rake has insisted that Ofcom is not trying to break-up the telecoms firm, just days after the regulator said it was pushing forward with plans to legally separate its Openreach broadband infrastructure division.
Rake denied that Ofcom was calling for a split, saying it was “enhanced functional separation”, even after Ofcom slammed the company’s voluntary measures so far as not enough, and said it would start proceedings with the European Commission to enforce a split.
“What we’re negotiating with Ofcom is not necessarily a structural separation of Ofcom, it’s more of what’s called enhanced functional separation. We are committed to creating an independent board that will run Openreach, with an independent chairman, independent directors, that will run and invest in the networks, which will have more freedom on capital and operating expense than the commercial arm,” said Rake, appearing on ITV’s Peston on Sunday show.
Full Content: City AM
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
EU Conducts First-Ever Raids on a Company Under Foreign Subsidies Regulation
Apr 23, 2024 by
CPI
FTC Moves to Ban Non-Compete Agreements, Aiming to Boost Labor Mobility
Apr 23, 2024 by
CPI
Federal Judge Nods at $418M Deal in Real Estate Antitrust Suit
Apr 23, 2024 by
CPI
Mexican Watchdog Probes Amazon and Mercado Libre Over Loyalty Bundles
Apr 23, 2024 by
CPI
Competition Commission of India to Probe AI Landscape for Competition
Apr 23, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI