Running Openreach must be a spectacularly hard job.
Not at all. They are a weakly regulated monopoly. As such the regulator wants them to earn a return on their capital, the weakness of the regulator means that they can earn better-than-utility returns through the lack of transparency, and avoid any particularly harsh or difficult obligations. Running Openreach is simply a combination of three things: (1) Some lacklustre project management to roll out FTTC where it suits BT or where the government will throw money to extend the network, (2) minimalist asset maintenance on the network, and (3) obsessive cost control (even where that hurts customers). In a properly regulated monopoly there would be an additional strand of playing the regulatory game (regulatory negotiation, reporting and performance management) but as OFCOM are so firmly "captured" there's no need for this in telecoms.
I've worked for a number of regulated non-telecoms businesses, and I can assure you that all of them would have LOVED a timid, weak, compliant, dim regulator like OFCOM.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
