I'd agree to an extent - just not that it should be in the hands of a single organisation (in particular not the government), but rather on all ISPs in a decentralised manner.

Openreach should in effect be something similar to LINX or the Internet Exchanges, whereby it's a non-profit body that's set up to coordinate between networks for a mutual benefit. For want of a better word, let's just refer to this as the National Network Exchange or NNX.

My view is slightly weird:
- Each line should be owned by the premises as part of the title deed of the property. The line, be it fibre or copper is a single pipe to the exchange, in effect dark fibre or unelectrified copper.
- Each line is equal to one share within the NNX. Premises can't do anything with the shareholding other than give it as a proxy to an ISP when the ISP provides a service. This is not a tradeable share, it's just a share that you as a customer give to your ISP in return for service.
- The ISP however, gains an extra share - by proxy on your behalf as their customer - in the NNX, thereby gaining influence within the NNX. Thereby the ISPs, just like LINX share, control the design of the NNX and should reform/restructure or new lines be created, then it's between the shareholding the ISPs have that give them the voting power.
- The ISP also becomes fully responsible for the line, and has to use it's influence within the NNX to provide service assurances, however this is relatively easy since they lose said influence in the NNX if they lose you as an unhappy customer. So the system is gamed in the consumers' favour and the ISPs gain from having more influence in network design and planning.

It does mean that the entire notion of Openreach is completely void, although the NNX would need a whole workforce of engineers and such like, but the fact of the matter is the line to each premises is in effect a single point-to-point dark fibre pipe. What happens over that line is solely a question between ISP and customer, and the ISP gains the capability of having a voice in the NNX's network due to having that relationship with the customer.

In this way, ISPs would work for you to your advantage not profiteering or paying any middle men. You can also apply the same model to Water, Gas and Electricity utilities, disbanding the dinosaurs that are Thames Water, Cadent and UKPowerNetworks (which if you've ever had to deal with loses you the will to live even more so than Openreach).

It's also for this reason I'm totally against the notion of using PONs that aren't point-to-point connections like copper is, as it's not sufficiently free to run whatever service you want.

In reply to a post by Pgre:

I know if you look at say KCOM/City Fibre etc - they are now or looking at looking to partnering with other ISP's.
I am guessing there's an Ofcom angle to this.. i.e. we won't regulate if you open the networks.

City Fibre and Gigaclear have partners today (Zen being a City Fibre one for example).

I'm surprised you used CityFibre as an example for this.

CityFibre aren't just "now looking" at partnering with other ISP's, it's their entire business model.
Like OpenReach they are a wholesaler.
You can't buy direct from CityFibre.

So who actually pays to get a line installed? Or upgraded from copper to fibre? Or fixed if it breaks? Is that down to the not for profit organisation or does it fall to the home owner as ownership of the line is part of the deeds? The benefit of an organisation owning the line is economies of scale as they can smooth the costs so that some customers don't see incredibly high costs.

The NNX collectively. Which the ISPs all subscribe and pay for with our monthly subscriptions.

In reply to a post by zzing123:

The NNX collectively. Which the ISPs all subscribe and pay for with our monthly subscriptions.

You could call it ‘line rental’ ?

Not sure why it needs the home owners to own the lines then - the not for profit company owns the lines and is responsible for maintenance and upgrades. Can't see any benefit in the home owners notionally owning the lines if all they are doing is paying a line rental.

Well there you go then.. I was just making the point that there's a wholesale market out there.

Its not about the homeowners owning the lines - from a customer POV it's no real difference... it's about not having BT or any single company owning the infrastructure, rather have it shared amongst ISPs, and not having competing alt nets having to dig up roads, and for the NNX to work as it should a solution thought up and run by engineers between engineers as a matter of necessity just like LINX.

And for the same network to handle things like RFOG for VM, leased lines for businesses and broadband for everyone else.

I really can't see how that works. Someone has to have a controlling interest in order to plan for line upgrades and someone has to be ultimately be responsible for fixing the lines. There has to be a controlling organisation that does this. ISPs could have shares in that organisation but the org itself still needs to exist - and in many ways the only difference from what you are suggesting and OpenReach is that OpenReach are a profit making organisation rather than not for profit and they don't have a monopoly as other providers are allowed to compete. So, turn it to not for profit and take away their competition and you have your end result.