We are ready - when will the referral come?

At the end of January, the Government commissioned PTS to analyze the consequences of a possible exemption from the location principle for municipal broadband activities.

The Government wrote that in its analysis, PTS would specifically highlight the effects on competition in the market, which we welcomed. It has long been known that companies experience problems when they encounter competition from the public sector selling goods and services on the open market. This is clearly stated in the report produced by Almega . And it is clear that our member companies experience problems in this regard. The Swedish Competition Authority's report shows that IT and telecom is the sector where competition from public actors is perceived as most problematic.

So it is clear that the issue needs to be thoroughly and carefully analyzed. But the government did not give time for that! Instead, the PTS was given only two months to do the work. I have no doubt that they did their utmost, but unfortunately the PTS report raises a lot of questions: What are the starting points for the three alternatives to exemptions proposed by the PTS? How do the alternatives contribute to the fulfillment of the government's broadband strategy? Does any of the options reduce the need for public funding? What proportion of the potential connections would not have occurred without an exemption from the location principle? Which activities within the urban networks are proposed to be covered by the exemptions? These are just some of the questions being asked.

The question marks are many and the impact on the market potentially large. Due to the tight timetable, our member companies and other stakeholders were not able to contribute to the analyses. But I hope and believe that the government still wants a solid basis for any decisions to be made. That's why we are offering our help and the industry's knowledge. Anders Ygeman, send out the report on reply to public consultation and let the companies and other interested parties submit their comments!

We are ready and we want to contribute!