BT has reportedly begun an appeal to Ofcom that, if successful, could result in us all paying extra for line rental. The national operator is required by Ofcom's Universal Service Obligation (USO) to make line rental affordable for customers on lower incomes.

It's understood that BT, concerned by the potential prospect of having to spend billions on a new national fibre (FTTx) broadband network, no longer feels it fair that they should also be forced to charge a lower rate of line rental. However, no decision has been made about precisely how the next-generation network situation should be resolved.