Clause 86 - Conditions about carrier selection
Communications Bill
8:55 am
Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment No.85, in
clause 86, page 82, line 43, at end add
'with a facility to override that selection on any occasion by dialling a code determined by OFCOM'.
The amendment relates to override facilities. Article 19 of the universal service directive requires facilities to be available for carrier selection, whereby a caller can decide over which network to direct the call by dialling a code. That is welcome. Carrier pre-selection, whereby people can decide in advance to turn over all their calls to a particular network is also provided for.
The directive requires the pre-selected choice to be capable of being overridden on a call-by-call basis by the dialling of an appropriate code. However, it is not clear that the Bill provides for that. The amendment would make it clear that the override facility must be available and that the carrier pre-selection facility must include a way in which to override the pre-selected choice on a call-by-call basis by dialling
an appropriate code. If that facility is not available, consumer choice and the ability of consumers to find the cheapest option for making an individual call will be limited.
While I am on my feet, will the Minister comment on whether subsection (3)(b) reinforces local loop unbundling and whether it is intended to allow greater access to broadband, which we discussed at length in a previous sitting?