The European Commission has approved the Dutch regulator’s plan to force cable companies to open their networks to competitors’ offerings. OPTA, the Dutch regulator, found that the four main cable operators (Ziggo, UPC, Delta and CAIW) have dominant positions in Dutch broadcasting market. OPTA wants to force the two largest cable companies, Ziggo and UPC, to grant access to their networks at prices to be determined by OPTA so that other operators can sell analog TV programs through them. The Netherlands is heavily dominated by the cable providers with 80% of Dutch households getting their radio and TV service. The market share of satellite, DSL and fiber operators in this market is very low.
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