Recommendation 16

The Department also held a technical consultation on the regulations needed to implement the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act from June to August 2021. However, it has not yet published either the findings of the consultation or its response to these.48 Similarly, the Department is still analysing feedback on the consultation it ran from January to March 202149 on whether the Electronic Communications Code can help to ensure that the UK has sufficiently robust electronic communications networks to deliver the coverage and connectivity consumers and businesses need.50 We received written evidence from stakeholders, including commercial suppliers, who suggested that delays to reforms will make delivering the 2025 target more challenging. For instance, Openreach told us that that it can upgrade existing copper infrastructure, but that this would require primary legislation, which was not yet in place.51 Similarly, the Internet Service Providers’ Association and the Internet Networks Cooperative Association told us that barriers are diverting key funding away from the rollout and impacting the 43 Committee of Public Accounts Committee, Improving Broadband, Thirty-fifth Report of Session 2019–21, HC 688, 8 January 2021, para 2 44 Government response on the Thirty-Fifth report from the Committee of Public Accounts, Improving Broadband, Session 2019–21 CP 409, March 2021, para 2.2 and 2.3 45 Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act 2021 - House of Commons Library (parliament.uk) 46 Q 50 47 Letter from Sarah Healey to PAC Chair Dame Meg Hillier Re: Improving Broadband, 23 November 2021 48 Q 53–56 49 Q 54 50 Closed consultation overview: Consultation on changes to the Electronic Communications Code – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 51 DRB0007 DCMS recall (Broadband), Openreach, November 4, para 24 14 Delivering gigabit-capable broadband commercial viability of the build in certain areas; with operators spending substantial sums negotiating and