British Telecom could be overcharging taxpayer £100ms for rural broadband

British Telecom could be overcharging taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds - Telegraph: "according to a leaked Whitehall briefing, officials at the Culture, Media and Sport department have been told the broadcasting giant is charging a mark up of up to 80 per cent to introduce faster broadband in rural parts of the country. The document, compiled in the summer by a consultant who was working with the department, accuses BT of using “pseudo wholesale” figures to justify its costs. Experts said that if the forecasts are correct, BT's subsidy could be cut by £400million and £500million and still produce the same result. Experts say it could mean that home owners in rural parts of the country have to overpay through their council tax bills for the faster broadband.
Last night Margaret Hodge MP, the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said she was shocked by The Telegraph’s disclosures and said her committee would examine the claims as part of a new inquiry." 'via Blog this'