On 14 August 2009, Ofcom published a consultation proposing to consent to a request from BT to charge discounted calling and connection services to customers entitled to the social telephony service BT Basic. The proposed consent was limited to a maximum of 300 homes in Ebbsfleet, Kent where BT is piloting provision of fixed telephony services using Fibre to the Premises (the Ebbsfleet Pilot Area), from 31 December 2009 to 31 December 2011.
We received only one response to the consultation. This was from BT and supported our impact assessment, and the wording of the proposed consent. We have decided to confirm the proposed consent.
This document contains the legal notification granting the consent and also:
- a summary of the response to the consultation and our comments;
- a summary of our Impact Assessment in the Consultation; and
- a final review of the legal tests.
The consent, which is in effect from 31 December 2009 to 31 December 2011, applies to a maximum of 300 homes in the Ebbsfleet Pilot Area where customers are eligible for the BT Basic service, where BT can charge discounted connection and calling rates.