The policies of some OECD governments seem set to increase the ownership of cable infrastructure by monopoly PTOs [public telecommunication operators]. In Greece, although service is yet to commence, a recently passed law mandates that the development, installation, operation and management of any kind of infrastructure for cable television broadcasting is exclusively the right of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) in conjunction with the broadcasting monopoly (ERT). Because it takes several years to roll out an alternative network, the current policy in Greece will close-off the potential for competition at the local level for over a decade. This would substantially eliminate the benefits local service competition would bring to the development of information infrastructures in Greece.
The OECD Report on Regulatory Reform: vol. I Sectoral Studies (OECD, 1997), p. 53
Indeed, eleven years later the prospect of cable TV in Greece is nowhere on the visible horizon.
