Ofcom would have to consider whether BT (NYSE: BT) should open its forthcoming higher-speed broadband lines to competitors, under proposed European Commission rules.

The commission is recommending that rules governing the emerging next-generation broadband services - specifically, those around competitor access to infrastructure and wholesaling of broadband access - should be developed through a “common approach” across the continent. If national telco regulators like Ofcom find that a dominant telco like BT has significant market power over the faster lines, they should assess whether competitors should get access to both the ducts that carry lines and access to the lines under wholesale agreements.