Blair Reassures Cable Industry

It is reported today that Tony Blair’s private meeting with cable companies yesterday to try and reassure them following the Labour/BT deal went well. It is believed that Blair assured the cable companies that BT would only be allowed access to the market after 1998 if it presented a detailed programme for the construction of a nationwide broadband cable network.

Cable executives said after the meeting that a number of their concerns had been eased; the cable industry was concerned that BT should be prevented from entering the market until the cable companies have had an opportunity to establish themselves; but no starting date has been set for BT’s entry to the market.