©Ofcom
Clive Gordon Legal Director, Ofcom
©Ofcom 2
Everything flows from Europe
©Ofcom 3
The Legal Tools Available to Ofcom
• EU Competition Law – Competition Act 1998
• National Competition Law – Enterprise Act 2002
• Ex-ante Sector Rules – Communications Act 2003
©Ofcom 4
Functional Separation under the Enterprise Act
Rest of BT
FUNCTIONAL SEPARATION
Openreach ‘owns’ local access assets
Enduring monopoly local access (copper and fibre) Operationally separate e.g. Different brand Bonus not based on BT Group Separate IT systems and
accounts Restrictions on information
sharing … but legally owned by BT
Telecos
Telecos
Telecos
EQUIVALENCE
Openreach provides exactly the same wholesale products (e.g. Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) to all operators on the same basis
BT Group plc