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Are you spending too much on Excess Construction Charges?

Excess Construction Charges (ECCs) are a regular query from our customers in the construction sector. In this blog post we’ll give you a run down of what ECCs are, what’s covered by them, and how you can reduce your ECC costs.

What Are Excess Construction Charges?

Excess Construction Charges, or ECCs, are excess or additional costs applied by OpenReach after performing a site survey. They come into play when additional infrastructure or work is needed, or a Line Plant Rearrangement is requested.

When will Excess Construction Charges be raised?

Some examples of work/activities than can incur ECCs include:

  • Blown fibre and/or blown fibre tubing
  • Installation of new telegraph poles
  • Installing a new footway box on an existing duct route
  • Creation of other/new building entry points (e.g. underground through floors)
  • Fibre or copper cable installed into ducts, buried, or on poles (including any jointing)
  • Any new duct work (including jointing boxes and wayleave costs)
  • Directly buried armour cable (on top of cable charges)
  • Any breaking walls or drilling through them
  • Any trunking and traywork carried out within you curtilage

As a rule of thumb, OpenReach tend to raise ECCs when additional infrastructure is needed. This is usually when providing a new/extended service to a site where they wouldn’t usually choose to extend the network.

This is by no means the only situation where ECCs can occur though. They are something everybody in the construction sector should be aware of.

How are ECCs costed?

With the exception of EAD (Ethernet Access Direct) products, ECCs are charged against the set price list published by OpenReach. They are applied to the standard installation charge.

BT/OpenReach will always contact you in the event that any ECCs are needed. Work will not start or resume until these charges are accepted.

Are there any exemptions to Excess Construction Charges?

Yes, there are several scenarios which may mean you are exempt from having ECCs raised. For example, if a service is provided in accordance with a Universal Service Obligation (USO). In this case the first £3,400 of ECC’s won’t be raised (but only against the first narrowband voice order).

There are another exemptions. However, they are all incredibly specific and not widely known. Exemptions are based on narrow criteria. OpenReach will notify you if you are exempt from any ECCs.

The Immervox Fast Start Package

An easy way for sites to avoid excess construction charges is with Immervox’s fast start package. Our Fast Start broadband solution is one of several tailored to fit the needs of temporary sites and the construction industry.

As well as getting your site broadband enabled with a fast reliable connection, our installation requires no additional infrastructure, keeping you safe from unexpected ECCs.

Give us a call today to speak to one of our team of experts on how our fast start package and other solutions can streamline costs and enable connectivity for your building site.

Immervox news about Excess Construction Charges
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