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89521

	registered interest
	date	29/08/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the average (a) download and (b) upload speed in (i) the UK, (ii) the South East, (iii) Berkshire and (iv) Windsor constituency was on the latest date for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	207534
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2014 answer text <p>Ofcom’s October 2013 Infrastructure Report reported that download modem sync speeds in May 2013 were 17.7Mbit/s for the UK, 17.6Mbit/s for South East England, 19.2Mbit/s for Berkshire, and 18.5Mbit/s for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Average upload speeds were not published in the infrastructure report. However in Ofcom’s UK fixed-line broadband performance report for November 2013 reported an average actual upload speed of 2.3Mbit/s for UK residential fixed-line broadband connections, but they did not publish a geographic breakdown.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 08/09/2014 13:10:49 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

100123

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Radio Frequencies
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to encourage public sector users of the radio spectrum to share bands.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	211326
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2014 answer text <p>All public sector spectrum users are subject to Administered Incentive Pricing (AIP) which serves to encourage spectrum to be used efficiently or released to other uses. This charge is set by HM Treasury with advice from Ofcom and the DCMS.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 28/10/2014 09:41:35 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

63203

	registered interest
	date	23/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Public Libraries
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps he has taken to provide more business resources in libraries.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	201676
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2014 answer text <p>The Enterprising Libraries programme, a £1.2 million partnership between Arts Council England, the British Library and the Department for Communities and Local Government, is supporting local economic growth by turning libraries into spaces for the development of business ideas, providing coaching, advice, meeting spaces and IT support for local businesses and entrepreneurs. Currently sixteen public libraries in England are actively engaged in the programme and receiving financial support.</p><p>Other specific initiatives being delivered through public libraries includes the Access to Research service. This two year pilot commenced in January 2014 and provides a free service enabling local libraries to provide users with access to a wealth of research, including business information. In addition, library authorities are developing business resources to meet local needs. Staffordshire for example has introduced Start2, a service that is available in all public libraries across the county and has trained staff offering information and signposting on all aspects of looking for and finding work, including providing a starting point for entrepreneurs who want to start their own business and small enterprises looking to expand by signposting them to relevant sources of information or specialist organisations.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 30/06/2014 16:17:31 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

50011

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent representations he has received on privatising a larger share of the radio spectrum; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	197734
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>Government is aware of the need to put more spectrum into the market to support innovation and growth and launched the Public Sector Spectrum Release Programme in 2011. This programme aims to release 500MHz of sub-5GHz spectrum from public sector use by 2020. One of the early actions was to gauge stakeholder demand at a series of events. The most recent Programme update was published on 10 March 2014. On the same day Government published the UK Spectrum Strategy which sets out a vision for efficient and flexible spectrum management, with specific actions and the goal of doubling the contribution of spectrum use to the economy by 2025. Both documents can be found on the GOV.UK website: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spectrum-strategy" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spectrum-strategy</a></p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

48776

	registered interest
	date	28/04/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the radio spectrum is earmarked for (a) military purposes, (b) radar purposes and (c) public service broadcasting.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	196840
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p>Officials have consulted Ofcom who hold such information. Ofcom advise that they do not hold such information for bands below 87.5MHz, but have provided information for bands from 87.5MHz-30GHz.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom has identified the proportion of spectrum accessed for public sector uses (not limited to the military), defined as all spectrum bands used by the public sector with Crown immunity (i.e. without need for authorisation by Ofcom). For the purpose of this analysis, this category includes all aeronautical uses of spectrum.</p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td><p>Crown use of spectrum as a % of total weighted spectrum</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>87.5 MHz</p></td><td><p>30 GHz</p></td><td><p>54%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>26% of the total weighted spectrum in the 87.5MHz to 30 GHz is allocated for radiolocation services/radar.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom cannot provide specific information with regards to spectrum in use for public service broadcasting as the national allocation of frequencies does not distinguish between public service broadcasting and non-public service broadcasting. The table below provides information with regards to the proportion of total weighted spectrum in use for terrestrial broadcasting, split into TV and radio.</p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td><p>Terrestrial broadcasting spectrum as a % of total weighted spectrum</p></td><td><p>TV</p></td><td><p>Radio</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>87.5 MHz</p></td><td><p>30 GHz</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>1%</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

48778

	registered interest
	date	28/04/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the (a) 30-300MHz, (b) 300-3000MHz and (c) 3-30GHz bands of the radio spectrum is in the operation of the private sector.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	196838
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Officials have consulted Ofcom who hold such information. Ofcom advise that they do not hold such information for bands below 87.5MHz (as frequencies above this are considered to be the most important and usable), but have provided information for bands from 87.5MHz-30GHz.</p><p> </p><p>The table provides an overview of the proportion of total weighted spectrum accessed for market uses by band.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Lower frequency</p></td><td><p>Upper frequency</p></td><td><p>Spectrum authorised for Market uses as a % of total weighted spectrum</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>87.5 MHz</p></td><td><p>328.6 MHz</p></td><td><p>47%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>328.6 MHz</p></td><td><p>3.1 GHz</p></td><td><p>73%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>3.1 GHz</p></td><td><p>30 GHz</p></td><td><p>80%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Public Sector Spectrum Release Programme aims to release 500MHz of sub-5GHz spectrum from public sector use by 2020. The most recent Programme update can be found on the GOV.UK website: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spectrum-strategy" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spectrum-strategy</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

63204

	registered interest
	date	23/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband: South East
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress he has made on improving the availability of superfast broadband in (a) the Thames Valley and (b) Windsor constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	201678
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2014 answer text <p>I can confirm that the Berkshire broadband project was allocated £2.03m, which was matched by the Berkshire councils, the project signed its supplier contract on 04 October 2013 and is proposing to make available superfast broadband to over 17,000 premises that would not otherwise have got it.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom monitors and reports on broadband and the table is of Next Generation Access availability across Berkshire between 2012 and 2013:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Local Authorities</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2013</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>BRACKNELL FOREST</p></td><td><p>76.8%</p></td><td><p>96.2%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>READING</p></td><td><p>92.9%</p></td><td><p>95.0%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>SLOUGH</p></td><td><p>91.7%</p></td><td><p>96.6%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>WEST BERKSHIRE</p></td><td><p>59.5%</p></td><td><p>65.1%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>WINDSOR AND MAIDENHEAD</p></td><td><p>83.1%</p></td><td><p>89.7%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>WOKINGHAM</p></td><td><p>87.3%</p></td><td><p>92.5%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Berkshire</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>81.7%</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>88.5%</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 30/06/2014 16:16:52 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

100861

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage infrastructure-based competition across the market for high-speed broadband connections; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	211867
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>The UK has a highly competitive broadband market. Superfast broadband is currently available to 78% of UK premises, up from 45% in 2010. In addition to BT, KCom and Virgin Media, a growing number of both fixed and wireless providers are making infrastructure investments. In September 2012 the Government announced a package of measures to reduce the barriers to deployment of superfast broadband, reducing red tape and bureaucracy to enable communications providers to deploy competing networks. The Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy consultation invited industry to submit views on what more the Government might do to support infrastructure deployment. That consultation closed on 1 October and the Government is currently considering the responses received.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 30/10/2014 11:22:39 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

100863

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will hold discussions with local authorities to encourage uptake of narrow trenching techniques in order to lower deployment costs for high-speed broadband connections and expedite its rollout to more homes and businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	211849
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>We encourage and support a range of innovative approaches in street works, particularly where these can lower the cost and speed up deployment of superfast broadband. The standards that street works reinstatements must meet are set out in the statutory code, the Specification of the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways (SROH). SROH sets out a range of deployment methods and approved materials that undertakers can use when carrying out street works, including narrow trenching and the use of foamed concrete as a reinstatement material.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 30/10/2014 11:25:18 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

100862

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will co-operate with the Department for Communities and Local Government over potential actions to reduce the costs associated with planning regulations and other barriers in relation to the rollout of high-speed broadband.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	211848
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>DCMS worked closely with Communities and Local Government, industry and other interested parties to design and implement in 2013 a significant and substantial package of planning relaxations in England. The changes support the roll out of fixed line high-speed broadband in protected areas*, and high-speed mobile broadband (4G) in protected and unprotected areas by removing the need to seek planning permission for specified developments. This year, joint working with Communities and Local Government has continued, together with house builders and communications providers, to develop an action plan to ensure that new developments have access to superfast broadband.</p><p> </p><p>*(National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, World Heritage Site, Norfolk and Suffolk Broads and Conservation Areas but not Sites of Special Scientific Interest)</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 30/10/2014 11:24:19 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham