Recommendation 17

Stakeholders also suggested that there were areas where the Department’s approach to removing barriers to rolling out gigabit-capable infrastructure could be strengthened further.53 This was particularly the case regarding “wayleaves,” which are contractual agreements between landowners and telecommunications providers about the right to access property in order to install and maintain electronic communications apparatus.54 We received written evidence from The Independent Networks Co-operative Association, which told us that issues with wayleaves topped the list of challenges cited by independent operators working to deliver the UK’s overall policy objectives. Negotiations over wayleaves can sometimes takes over two years.55 Openreach also told us that issues related to wayleaves are a particular concern for blocks of flats with multiple occupants, which Openreach estimated may affect up to 1.5 million households.56