Recommendations & Conclusions
16 items
1
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
Sticking to unachievable targets benefits no-one, and it was inevitable that the Government would have to abandon its unrealistic manifesto pledge to deliver nationwide gigabit connectivity by 2025. Ministers should be ready to respond openly, in answering questions from members of a select committee, accepting that a target will not …
Government response. The Government wants to become a world leader in connectivity and increase the UK’s productivity and competitiveness. We have therefore set ambitious targets for gigabit-capable broadband, and a clear strategy for delivering them through the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, Statement …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
It would not be acceptable having abandoned one unrealistic target, for the Government to fail to meet a second, less ambitious, target through lack of effective planning or inadequate investment. The Government should outline, in its response to this Report if not before, how it settled on the new gigabit-capable …
Government response. The Government wants to become a world leader in connectivity and increase the UK’s productivity and competitiveness. We have therefore set ambitious targets for gigabit-capable broadband, and a clear strategy for delivering them through the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, Statement …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
3
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
The Government’s technology-agnostic approach to securing a nationwide gigabit- capable network makes sense in the context of delivering faster connections to as many premises as possible as quickly as possible. However, the Government must not let it come with a trade-off in performance or longevity: any technologies used to deliver …
Government response. The Government agrees that technologies used to deliver gigabit connectivity should be future proof but is strongly committed to a technology neutral approach because this approach enables greater innovation. For example, a wireless solution may be more efficient when connecting …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
4
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
It is difficult to see how £5 billion will be enough to meet the Government’s aim of delivering gigabit broadband to the hardest-to-reach 20% of premises. Investment in digital infrastructure is too important to be compromised. It is therefore disappointing that over the next four years, the Government will make …
Government response. The Government remains committed to the ‘Outside In’ approach that we outlined in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review. This is why we are not waiting until commercial delivery is complete before starting to build in the hardest to reach areas …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
5
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
The Government should outline in its response to this Report, if not before, how the remaining £3.8 billion has been ringfenced and when it expects to make it available for delivering gigabit-capable broadband to the hardest-to-reach properties. (Paragraph 50) Broadband and the road to 5G 51
Government response. The Government remains committed to the ‘Outside In’ approach that we outlined in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review. This is why we are not waiting until commercial delivery is complete before starting to build in the hardest to reach areas …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
6
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
There are technical reasons why 5G will not be the silver bullet for delivering gigabit connectivity to rural areas but this will be exacerbated if the roll-out of 5G follows the same commercially-driven pattern as previous generations of mobile technology. Even if roll-out in urban areas means the majority of …
Government response. The Government remains focused on the UK becoming a world leader in 5G mobile technology, and for consumers and businesses across the UK to see the benefits of 5G as fast as possible. The Secretary of State was clear in …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
7
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
The Government should complete a formal review of progress towards its targets for gigabit-capable broadband and 5G by the end of 2022 and report back to us on progress. (Paragraph 60) Demand for gigabit connectivity
Government response. The Government remains focused on the UK becoming a world leader in 5G mobile technology, and for consumers and businesses across the UK to see the benefits of 5G as fast as possible. The Secretary of State was clear in …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
8
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
Ensuring there is sufficient demand for gigabit-capable broadband must not be an afterthought and based on consumer behaviours and take-up of existing technologies, cannot be assumed to be a given. We are concerned that the Government has not given enough priority to this policy area to date and does not …
Government response. The Government recognised the importance of demand for gigabit-capable networks in its Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, published in July 2018, and its Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP), which was designated in October 2019. Ofcom has to have regard to the …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
9
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
Getting the design of the gigabit programme right is absolutely essential, especially as its budget for the next four years will be only 25% of what was expected. Some parts of the country will still get left behind when it comes to the roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband, the consequences of …
Government response. The Government set out the importance of regulation that promotes competition and investment in new gigabit-capable networks wherever possible in our 2018 Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review and Statement of Strategic Priorities. However, these documents also recognise that it would be …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
10
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
The Government should outline in its response to this Report, if not before, what the Spending Review and 85% target mean for its ‘outside-in’ ambition and its strategy for delivering to those semi-urban areas unlikely to benefit from commercial roll- out. Given the centrality of the principle of levelling-up to …
Government response. Over 96% of UK premises have access to superfast broadband, which is one of the highest rates in Europe. Over five million UK premises with access to superfast broadband have it as a result of the Government’s Superfast Programme. The …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
11
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
The roll-out of gigabit-capable networks will put considerable strain on local authorities, which are already facing considerable pressures on their budgets. The Government must retain the expertise gained through the superfast programme and ensure local authorities are resourced sufficiently to support the roll-out of gigabit- capable connectivity at pace.
Government response. The Government agrees that local authorities are important for the delivery of nationwide gigabit capable broadband. The Barrier Busting Task Force within DCMS is actively advising local authorities across the UK, including through its Digital Connectivity Portal on the DCMS …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
12
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
We are not convinced that the technology-agnostic approach to delivering gigabit-capable broadband extends much beyond ministerial pronouncements. The Government needs to take a more joined-up approach to fixed and mobile telecoms policy, especially when it comes to interventions for the hardest-to-reach properties. In its response to this Report, if not …
Government response. The Department’s interventions are designed to be technology neutral, and this is reflected in the terms and conditions published to the market for each intervention. Similarly, in the case of the new UK Gigabit Programme, suppliers will be assessed by …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
13
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
We are concerned that Ofcom has significant catching up to do for its regulatory regime to deliver the Government’s goals and protect consumers. The regulatory framework proposed in the Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review has the potential to undermine the Government’s £5 billion subsidy for hard-to-reach areas and does not …
Government response. The Government set out the importance of regulation that promotes competition and investment in new gigabit-capable networks wherever possible in our 2018 Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review and Statement of Strategic Priorities. However, these documents also recognise that it would be …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
14
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
Judging by the legislative measures to date, the scale of the Government’s efforts to tackle the most serious barriers to roll-out does not match the scale of its ambition for gigabit connectivity. Despite the challenges of the 2025 target, the Government intends to “wait and see” about complex problems such …
Government response. Rights for telecommunications infrastructure to be installed on public and private land are regulated by the Electronic Communications Code. The Code’s purpose is to facilitate the deployment, maintenance and upgrading of the UK’s digital networks at pace. However, where this …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
15
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
Again, the Government’s ‘wait and see’ approach to ensuring sufficient numbers of engineers does not reflect the scale of the infrastructure and industry challenge to meet its targets for rolling out nationwide full fibre. The Minister’s assertion that the UK has enough engineers for its current need contradicts what we …
Government response. The nationwide rollout of gigabit connectivity in the UK is expected to create thousands of new high-quality engineering jobs. Alongside the direct benefits that increased connectivity brings, the Government believes this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to provide …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
16
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the road …
Industry’s calls for regulatory and business rate reform, as well as removing barriers to roll-out, will not come as any surprise to Ministers; however, these long-standing policy recommendations demonstrate a gap between the Government’s ambition and the action it has taken to date. Even getting to 85% gigabit-capable coverage by …
Government response. The Government is delivering a highly ambitious programme to remove barriers to the deployment of gigabit-capable broadband, as set out earlier in this response. The work carried out to date has already had a galvanising effect on industry with gigabit-capable …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport