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1205272

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2020
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of households were able to access a broadband service delivering (a) a download speed of at least 10 Mbps and (b) an upload speed of at least 1 Mbps, in 2010.
	tabling member constituency	York Outer
	tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
	uin	61484
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2020 answer text <p>In 2010, neither the Department nor Ofcom published the data requested.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) provides every household with the legal right to request a broadband connection that provides download speeds of at least 10Mbps and an upload speed of at least 1Mbps up to a Reasonable Cost Threshold of £3,400 per premise. However, the legislation underpinning the USO was not passed until 2018.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 26/06/2020 16:09:39 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
	tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1199019

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2020
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to publish further details on how the Government will achieve its target Gigabit-capable connectivity for all by 2025; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Ochil and South Perthshire
	tabling member printed	John Nicolson
	uin	52104
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to delivering nationwide coverage of gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible and believes that the best way to do this is to promote network competition and commercial investment wherever possible, and to intervene with public subsidy where necessary.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government is taking action to remove barriers to commercial deployment including, for example, through the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold) Property Bill, which will make it easier to connect tenanted properties with an unresponsive landlord. We are also committed to legislating to mandate gigabit connectivity in new build homes. For harder to reach areas, we have committed to invest a record £5 billion to support gigabit capable broadband deployment. We will be publishing more details in due course.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 12/06/2020 15:35:09 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
	tabling member	4415 label Biography information for John Nicolson

1123186

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2019
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans to obligate internet broadband companies to be more transparent on achievable speeds.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	247606
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2019 answer text <p>Both Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have taken action on broadband speeds recently.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom’s published a new Broadband Speeds Code of Practice on 1 March 2019, under which companies have to provide consumers with a minimum guaranteed speed at the point of sale. If a consumer’s speed then drops below this level, companies have one month to improve performance, before they must allow consumers to leave their contract penalty-free. This right to exit also applies to landline and TV packages, which are purchased at the same time as broadband services</p><p> </p><p>Prior to this, in May 2018, the ASA implemented guidance that requires speed claims in adverts to be based on the download speeds available to at least 50% of customers at peak time and no longer on 'up to' speeds available to at least 10% of customers.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 02/05/2019 12:31:11 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1123194

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2019
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a mandated system with mandated compensation to address customers' complaints about broadband.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	247607
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>Ofcom, as the UK’s regulator for the communications industry, is responsible for issues around consumer compensation for broadband. In March 2017, Ofcom consulted on introducing an automatic compensation scheme for fixed broadband and landline telecoms to protect consumers that suffer from specific service failures. Subsequently, industry agreed to introduce a voluntary automatic compensation scheme, which came into effect from 1 April 2019. It covers new orders placed, or problems reported since 1 April 2019, and sets out compensation amounts for delayed repairs following a loss of service, missed repairs or appointments, as well as delays to the start of a new service.</p><p> </p><p>The largest broadband providers have signed up to the scheme as a result of which Ofcom have indicated that nine in ten landline and broadband customers are already covered by the scheme. They estimate that it will benefit consumers by up to £126m more per year in compensation payments, compared to £16m per year they received previously. Ofcom is satisfied that the voluntary scheme is a fair, effective and sufficient means to ensure telecoms consumers are compensated when service quality falls short, and that it adequately addresses the need to take regulatory action in this area. Ofcom plans to review the effectiveness of this scheme after it has been in place for 12 months.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, where an individual feels that their service fault has been dealt with in an unsatisfactory manner by their telecoms provider, and if their complaint has not been resolved after eight weeks, they can refer their case to an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme. ADR schemes can review individual cases and any decisions they make are binding on telecoms providers. There are two ADR schemes for telecoms, the Ombudsman Services (OS) and the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS), and all communications providers must be members of one of these schemes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 30/04/2019 17:38:57 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1236585

	registered interest
	date	22/09/2020
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the minimum levels of connectivity required for assistance under the universal service obligation.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne North
	tabling member printed	Catherine McKinnell
	uin	93588
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/09/2020 answer text <p>The speed and technical requirements of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) were set on the basis of advice from Ofcom that they would meet broadband requirements of a typical household, including both voice and video calls, and the government’s consultation on the USO. The USO acts as a digital safety net for households unable to access a broadband service that meets these requirements at present. The government is committed to keeping the USO specification under review in light of consumer’s evolving needs and connectivity usage trends.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 25/09/2020 16:50:49 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
	tabling member	4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell

1194915

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2020
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the increase in online working and education on the quality of broadband experienced by consumers.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	46066
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2020 answer text <p>The telecoms sector has undertaken a significant amount of work over recent years to prepare for a pandemic. DCMS is working closely with the main broadband providers to ensure the network remains stable and continues to have sufficient capacity for the increases in home-working and remote learning the country has seen as a part of its response to Covid-19.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Additionally, on 19 April the Government announced measures to ensure that vulnerable and disadvantaged children across England can access the internet. We are also working with the country’s major telecommunication providers to make it easier for families, who are relying on mobile data, to access online educational resources.</p><p>Further information can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-major-package-to-support-online-learning" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-major-package-to-support-online-learning</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 18/05/2020 16:22:32 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1221118

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the report entitled, UK’s internet use surges to record levels, published by Ofcom on 24 June 2020, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the broadband universal service obligation requirement of latency sufficient for (a) voice calls only and (b) voice and video calls.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	69555
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2020 answer text <p>The Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Broadband) Order 2018 already stipulates that Universal Service Providers must provide a broadband connection which is ‘capable of allowing the end-user to make and receive voice calls over the connection effectively’.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The speed and technical requirements of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) were set on the advice of Ofcom based on the broadband requirements of a typical household, including both voice and video calls. The USO acts as a digital safety net for households unable to access a broadband service that meets these requirements at present.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Section 72A of the Digital Economy Act 2017 includes a requirement for the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to give a direction to Ofcom to review the broadband USO when at least 75% of premises in the UK subscribe to a broadband service that provides a download speed of at least 30Mbps.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 09/07/2020 12:08:41 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1221119

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish data on the latency of superfast broadband lines delivered with Building Digital UK by local authority area.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	69556
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2020 answer text <p>Building Digital UK (BDUK) does not monitor nor track the latency of superfast broadband lines delivered through their rollout programmes. BDUK and Ofcom only collect speed data, not latency data.</p><p>BDUK receives delivery and speed data at a premise level in the form of a delivery report that is received from suppliers every quarter of a contract up until delivery completion. This provides BDUK with information on what premises have been delivered to, what upload and download speeds they expect to receive, when the premise was built to, and what technology was used to build to that premise.</p><p>Local Authority and constituency level data on available speed is published in Ofcom’s Connected Nations reports and summarised on the House of Commons Library website.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 16/07/2020 14:35:53 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1224887

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2020
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the broadband universal service obligation to increase the requirements for latency sufficiency to a level that can deliver reliable video calling.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	74563
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2020 answer text <p>The speed and technical requirements of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) were set on the advice of Ofcom based on the broadband requirements of a typical household, including both voice and video calls. The USO acts as a digital safety net for households unable to access a broadband service that meets these requirements at present.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Section 72A of the Digital Economy Act 2017 includes a requirement for the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to give a direction to Ofcom to review the broadband USO when at least 75% of premises in the UK subscribe to a broadband service that provides a download speed of at least</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 21/07/2020 16:43:48 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1361994

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2021
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Ofcom's report entitled UK Home Broadband Performance, published on 9 September 2021, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the finding that average peak-time download speeds in urban areas were a third higher than those in rural areas in March 2021.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	59786
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2021 answer text <p>The government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. Over half of premises across the UK can now access gigabit-capable networks, up from just one in ten in November 2019. We are also investing £5 billion in Project Gigabit so that hard-to-reach and rural communities are not left behind. In addition, nationwide superfast broadband coverage now stands at 97%, meaning the vast majority of the UK has access to speeds of 30Mbps or higher.</p><p>Furthermore, for communities not in line for either commercial or government-funded plans, we are providing more immediate support through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and are investing up to £110 million to upgrade rural public buildings.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 25/10/2021 15:53:48 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah