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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

My Lords, Amendment 24 deals with the same part of the Bill and seeks to insert in there the consideration of competition and of the services provided to customers. It is important in looking at the structure, the companies and the services involved that we do not forget that we are dealing here with some pretty large commercial forces that naturally tend towards monopoly and towards preserving their own position, in a market that ought to be fast-changing and evolving. It ought to be part of Ofcom’s job to ensure that competition is unfettered and that consumers are receiving the services that they ought to be. That seems to be central to the job that Ofcom should be doing. I beg to move.