Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Paragraph: 27
Sticking to unachievable targets benefits no-one, and it was inevitable that the Government would have...
Conclusion
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 be met when they already possess sufficient information to know that it is not going to be achieved. We welcome the fact it has finally listened to concerns, rethought the target and taken a more realistic outlook. However, the time it has taken to do so will have delayed industry, local bodies and consumers receiving the information they need to plan or build a robust investment case. Moreover, given that the previous target had been staunchly defended to us makes us question how much of a say DCMS had in the decision to scrap it, and the extent to which both the new target and its likely implications have been fully considered in consultation with industry.
Paragraph Reference:
27
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
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 of Strategic Priorities, and the record proposed investment in the £5 billion UK Gigabit Programme. The Government’s strategy to promote network competition and commercial investment has already had significant impact and has galvanised commercial build in the market. An unprecedented number of firms are now looking to deploy gigabit-capable broadband in the UK, backed by large institutional investors from the UK and abroad. The UK broadband market is at its most competitive since BT’s privatisation in 1984. The result is already being felt by UK consumers on the ground with over one in three UK premises having access to gigabit-capable broadband, up from 10% when compared to Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2019 report. By the end of 2021, we expect that more than half of the country will be connected to gigabit-capable networks. We are on track to ramp up to an annual full fibre build rate of over four million premises or more, comparable to the highest build rates seen in Europe. By 2025, the Government is targeting a minimum of 85% gigabit-capable coverage but will seek to accelerate rollout further to get as close to 100% as possible. This target is based on extensive engagement with industry over the past year, as well as current industry rates of deployment and how these may increase up to 2025. The Government set out in its National Infrastructure Strategy that it will continue to implement an ambitious programme of work to incentivise commercial investment in gigabit-capable broadband and remove barriers to rollout. This includes the following measures, which will support industry to deliver gigabit coverage in the most commercial 80% of the UK by 2025: ● We have introduced legislation to make it easier for broadband providers to connect blocks of flats through the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill. This Bill is in the final stages of its passage through Parliament. ● We have consulted on how to ensure that all new build developments have gigabit-capable broadband and have committed to amending Build Regulations to deliver this reform. This builds on existing voluntary commitments from operators to work with housing developers. ● We are consulting on reforms to the Electronic Communications Code, the legal framework underpinning operator rights to install and keep electronic communications apparatus on public and private land. ● We will be consulting on further reforms to the streetworks regime to make it easier for operators to access roads for broadband deployment. This consultation will build on the existing action that we have already taken, with the new digital Street Manager service, which went live in Summer 2019, and the new Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways, which allows more innovative reinstatement techniques including microtrenching. ● Subject to a further technical consultation, we will be taking forward reforms to support better mobile coverage, including allowing the deployment of taller and wider masts, and building-based masts located nearer to highways. ● We will continue to maintain and develop our Digital Connectivity Portal, which provides guidance for local authorities and network providers on improving connectivity in local areas. The Government will also continue to work with stakeholders to identify further barriers to deployment and take urgent action to address key issues as they emerge. Both the Secretary of State and the Minister for Digital Infrastructure were clear in their recent appearances before the Committee that delivering nationwide gigabit-capable coverage by 2025 was challenging, particularly for the hardest to reach 20% of premises in the country. That is why we have already been funding gigabit-capable network rollout in harder to reach areas through our existing Superfast, Local Full Fibre Networks and Rural Connectivity programmes, at the same time that we have been developing our new £5 billion UK Gigabit Programme. Since 2018, the Government has delivered gigabit-capable broadband to over half a million homes and businesses in these areas. commercial areas of the country and why we have committed a record £5 billion of capital funding to support deployment in these areas. Our current estimate is that the Government’s UK Gigabit Programme will spend a minimum of £1.2 billion by March 2025 and deliver gigabit-capable connectivity to at least 5 percentage points of the final 20%, but we will continue to work with industry to accelerate delivery of gigabit-capable broadband to as much of the remaining 15 percentage points as possible. Through this programme, the Government will seek to prioritise delivery to those premises that