   KC (Karoo), part of the KCOM Group PLC (Kingston Communications) with a history that stretches back over a hundred years to 1904, is today an incumbent broadband and phone communications provider for consumers and businesses in the Hull and East Yorkshire (UK) area. The KCOM umbrella also includes several other firms, such as UK ISP Eclipse Internet.
The provider is certainly no stranger to controversy and often receives criticism from rivals and customers alike, many of which remain frustrated by the operators tight hold over its dominant position of Significant Market Power (SMP) in Hull and the related lack of competition. For its part, KC has spent millions on improving the regions infrastructure and recently become quite outspoken on the many issues of UK broadband policy. ISPreview.co.uk wanted to know more about how KC approached the thorny issue of competition in Hull and its views on the current governments approach to broadband. To that end we have been able to pluck KC's Director of Consumer Affairs, Nick Thompson, from his busy schedule in order to answer a few choice questions about this year's main events.
Q1 - The UK government recently delayed its target of 2012 for making a minimum broadband download speed of 2Mb (Megabits per second) - Universal Service Commitment (USC) - available to everybody in the country, instead pushing it back to 2015. During April 2010 KC commented that a download speed of 10Mb would make for a better "sustainable broadband for all" target, ideally being delivered by the governments 2015 deadline. Do KC plan to adopt this as their own official goal and was the government's original 2012 timetable ever achievable (expensive quick-fix Satellite solutions notwithstanding)?
Q2 - Should the USC also be considering other factors, such as upload speed, affordability, flexibility (usage allowances) and latency performance?
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Ofcom have illegally permitted KC to bundle services in the Hull area whilst it continues not to force KC in becoming a wholesaler of line rental services in order to allow CP's to gain full access to the line at the wholesale level in order to fully own the customer relationship.
This issue was raised by Talk-Talk and NextGenus directly with Ofcom of who ignored the objections and allowed KC to proceeed based on the grounds of consumer benefit of which is code for longer term consumer contracts in the wake of limited competition from the likes Nexus Telecommunications, Cobus Communications, The Mobile Point and Airnet services in the Hull area.
Ofcom continues to let KC abuse its dominant position in the Hull area without allowing other CP's to gain equivalence in the provision of wholesale line rental services and therefore force CP's to enter into protacted negotiations with KC directly where it is not in KC's interest to permit wholesale access services.
Ofcom are more interested in protecting KC as an entity rather than ensuring a level playing field in order for competition to thrive.
Its time the people and businesses in Hull were fully consulted and that CP's should be asked by Ofcom that if equivalent WLR3 services were availible from KC, (as Ofcom forced this upon BT) then would they be interested in providing retail services in the Hull area.
I doubt none would decline the opportunity if asked.