British Telecommunications Act 1981

3 General duty of the Corporation

(1) It shall be the duty of the Corporation (consistently with any directions given to it under the following provisions of this Part) so to exercise its powers as to provide throughout the British Islands (save in so far as they are provided by other persons or the provision thereof is, in its opinion, impracticable or not reasonably practicable) such telephone services as satisfy all reasonable demands for them.

(2) It shall also be the duty of the Corporation, in exercising its powers, to have regard to—

(a) efficiency and economy;

(b) the social, industrial and commercial needs of the British Islands with respect to matters that are subserved by its powers;

(c) the desirability of improving and developing its operating systems; and

(d) developments in the fields of telecommunications and data processing.

(3) Subsection (1) shall not be taken to preclude the interruption, suspension or restriction, in the case of emergency, of any telephone service provided by the Corporation.

(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed as imposing upon the Corporation, either directly or indirectly, any form of duty or liability enforceable by proceedings before any court.

(5) References in this section to the provision of telephone services do not include references to the supply to any subscriber, for use in connection with such services, of any apparatus apart from a single telephone instrument.