OPTA forces Dutch cable TV to allow resellers
July 16, 2008
Dutch cable television operators will be forced to allow rivals to resell TV subscriptions under a draft decision by telecoms regulator OPTA. At the same time, OPTA plans to free the former telecoms monopoly KPN from some restrictions in the consumer market for telephony, saying competition was sufficient.KPN has long complained that it has to allow alternative providers on its network while cable television companies such as Ziggo and Liberty Global’s UPC, whose networks can also carry voice and data, were under no such obligation.OPTA now plans to force cable companies to offer a wholesale deal to competitors who want to sell analogue cable TV to their customers, for instance bundled with broadband Internet access. Rivals will have to secure their own broadcast rights, however. The regulator said satellite TV and KPN’s digital TV offers "do not put sufficient pressure on cable tariffs and have not led to more choice in the cable bouquet".