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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

I may feel some confusion over the actual phrase used, but the implication that there should be occasions where investment would not be efficient is understandable. I refer to the first contribution made by the noble Lord, Lord Steel, in which he said that he does not have mobile phone coverage in his area. That is exactly the sort of investment that might have to be made by somebody to ensure that there is telephone coverage across the whole country, but some of that will not provide a return in terms of efficiency for a private company. For instance, if we look at what BT charges to put in a telephone line in a remote area, it is understandable that it would not be efficient for an individual to invest in it, and therefore someone else will have to do so if there is to be full coverage.