Corrigenda and Addenda

The interim report is open for consultation. Corrections and additional observations and topics will be collected here.

1. The Crown Estate Commissioners levy charges on all subsea cables laid within territorial waters. This will affect any fibre connections to the Scottish Islands, and one obvious route for fiber to reach the Western Highlands. The new UK government has recently responded to a treasury committee report on the Management of the Crown Estate and appears reluctant to provide "strategic direction to the CEC to take greater account of wider public interests". We are left with a position where CEC levies monopoly charges unrelated to scarcity or cost. This issue is directly comparable to the rating of fiber laid onshore, already highlighted in the interim report. See also House of Commons Hansard Debates for 11 Feb 2003 "While I can sympathise with the desire of your constituents for improved telecommunications, I hope you will understand that for reasons of equity, consistency and fair and equal competition, the Crown Estate has no option but to make a charge on the basis proposed."