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1050128

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
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: Advertising
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Digital and the Creative Industries of 15 November 2018, Official Report column 545, whether it is his policy that the use of the term fibre in the advertising of part-copper broadband represents misleading advertising.
tabling member constituency	Aberdeen South
tabling member printed	Ross Thomson
uin	213437
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2019 answer text <p>The 2017 Digital Strategy set out that Government would work with regulators and industry to ensure that the advertising of broadband reflects the speeds that consumers can expect to receive and accurately describes the technology used.</p><p> </p><p>Since the Digital Strategy was published, the ASA has implemented new guidance, which states that speed claims should 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. Ofcom has also updated its Code of Practice on Broadband Speeds.</p><p> </p><p>The ASA also reviewed the use of the term ‘fibre’ to describe part-fibre and full-fibre broadband and concluded in November 2017 that the term 'fibre' is unlikely to mislead consumers as currently used in the advertising of part-fibre broadband services. In June 2018, the Administrative Court granted CityFibre permission to proceed with its Judicial Review (JR) of the ASA's decision. The next stage is for the Administrative Court to make a substantive decision on the JR.</p><p> </p><p>The Government remains committed to working with regulators and industry to ensure that consumers receive clear, concise and accurate information in order to make informed choices about their broadband, particularly as the rollout of new technologies like full fibre broadband increases. As part of this, we will monitor developments in other countries, including Italy’s current trial of a traffic light system for broadband advertising.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will be consulting on its Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, spectrum and post shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James grouped question UIN 213438 213439 question first answered 05/02/2019 14:09:22 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4599 label Biography information for Ross Thomson

1050129

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
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: Advertising
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Digital and the Creative Industries of 15 November 2018, Official Report column 545, what steps he is taking to tackle the misleading advertising of fibre broadband.
tabling member constituency	Aberdeen South
tabling member printed	Ross Thomson
uin	213438
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2019 answer text <p>The 2017 Digital Strategy set out that Government would work with regulators and industry to ensure that the advertising of broadband reflects the speeds that consumers can expect to receive and accurately describes the technology used.</p><p> </p><p>Since the Digital Strategy was published, the ASA has implemented new guidance, which states that speed claims should 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. Ofcom has also updated its Code of Practice on Broadband Speeds.</p><p> </p><p>The ASA also reviewed the use of the term ‘fibre’ to describe part-fibre and full-fibre broadband and concluded in November 2017 that the term 'fibre' is unlikely to mislead consumers as currently used in the advertising of part-fibre broadband services. In June 2018, the Administrative Court granted CityFibre permission to proceed with its Judicial Review (JR) of the ASA's decision. The next stage is for the Administrative Court to make a substantive decision on the JR.</p><p> </p><p>The Government remains committed to working with regulators and industry to ensure that consumers receive clear, concise and accurate information in order to make informed choices about their broadband, particularly as the rollout of new technologies like full fibre broadband increases. As part of this, we will monitor developments in other countries, including Italy’s current trial of a traffic light system for broadband advertising.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will be consulting on its Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, spectrum and post shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James grouped question UIN 213437 213439 question first answered 05/02/2019 14:09:22 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4599 label Biography information for Ross Thomson

1050130

registered interest
date	28/01/2019
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: Advertising
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Digital and the Creative Industries of Thursday 15 November 2018, Official Report column 545, whether he plans to include proposals to tackle the misleading advertising of fibre broadband in his forthcoming Statement of Strategic Priorities to Ofcom.
tabling member constituency	Aberdeen South
tabling member printed	Ross Thomson
uin	213439
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2019 answer text <p>The 2017 Digital Strategy set out that Government would work with regulators and industry to ensure that the advertising of broadband reflects the speeds that consumers can expect to receive and accurately describes the technology used.</p><p> </p><p>Since the Digital Strategy was published, the ASA has implemented new guidance, which states that speed claims should 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. Ofcom has also updated its Code of Practice on Broadband Speeds.</p><p> </p><p>The ASA also reviewed the use of the term ‘fibre’ to describe part-fibre and full-fibre broadband and concluded in November 2017 that the term 'fibre' is unlikely to mislead consumers as currently used in the advertising of part-fibre broadband services. In June 2018, the Administrative Court granted CityFibre permission to proceed with its Judicial Review (JR) of the ASA's decision. The next stage is for the Administrative Court to make a substantive decision on the JR.</p><p> </p><p>The Government remains committed to working with regulators and industry to ensure that consumers receive clear, concise and accurate information in order to make informed choices about their broadband, particularly as the rollout of new technologies like full fibre broadband increases. As part of this, we will monitor developments in other countries, including Italy’s current trial of a traffic light system for broadband advertising.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will be consulting on its Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, spectrum and post shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James grouped question UIN 213437 213438 question first answered 05/02/2019 14:09:22 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4599 label Biography information for Ross Thomson

1027415

registered interest
date	17/12/2018
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: Scotland
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 discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives from local authorities in Scotland on the roll-out of superfast broadband.
tabling member constituency	Angus
tabling member printed	Kirstene Hair
uin	202892
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2018 answer text <p>There is a regular and good working level relationship between DCMS and the Scottish government on the roll-out of superfast broadband.</p><p> </p><p>Discussions cover superfast projects, R100, Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) projects and use of the DCMS Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme which was launched in April. To date, 425 vouchers have been issued totaling just £1.08m.</p><p> </p><p>We are also engaging with Scottish Government and local bodies on the Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme announced at Budget 2018.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 20/12/2018 13:28:20 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4675 label Biography information for Kirstene Hair

1027416

registered interest
date	17/12/2018
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	Mobile Phones: Rural Areas
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 his Department's policy is on improving mobile data coverage in rural areas with low levels of fixed superfast broadband coverage.
tabling member constituency	Angus
tabling member printed	Kirstene Hair
uin	202893
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2018 answer text <p>The Government’s ambition is for there to be good mobile coverage in all areas where people live, work and travel, including areas where there are low levels of superfast fixed broadband coverage.</p><p>The Government recognises that industry needs to improve coverage further, particularly in rural areas, as consumers’ experience of mobile coverage falls short of their expectations.The Government has been taking action to drive up coverage, including reforms to the Electronic Communications Code, to encourage investment in the rollout of digital infrastructure by making deployment cheaper.</p><p>We also welcome Ofcom’s recent consultation (published on 18th December) which outlined potential new licence obligations targeting rural coverage as part of the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction. This will help deliver better mobile coverage - including voice and data - and enable more people to benefit from the digital economy.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 21/12/2018 12:49:04 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4675 label Biography information for Kirstene Hair

1045659

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
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: Scotland
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 progress has he made on the Local Full Fibre Networks Programme in rural locations throughout Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Angus
tabling member printed	Kirstene Hair
uin	210715
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) Programme has the following Scottish projects and potential projects:</p><p> </p><p><strong>LFFN Wave 2 Challenge Fund</strong></p><p>Highland Council are planning to use the SWAN Framework to implement a gigabit fibre network to 152 public buildings in Inverness, Fort William, Thurso and Wick - awarded £4.3m BDUK Funding. This project is in preparation stage for the 'Ready to Procure' Assurance Gate.</p><p> </p><p><strong>LFFN Wave 3 Challenge Fund</strong></p><p>Shetland Council have successfully passed the LFFN Investment Panel stage and are working on the final Business case to go through Assurance Gate A and if approved will be issued with a letter of offer for £2m BDUK Funding</p><p>Tay Cities combined authority are in the dialogue stage regarding a potential LFFN project in their area.</p><p>Renfrewshire Council are at the pre-dialogue stage regarding a potential LFFN project in their area</p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial"><strong>Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme </strong></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">To the end of September 2018 across Scotland, there have been 87 gigabit vouchers connected (value £243,953). A report up to the end of December 2018 will be released early in February</ins></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 29/01/2019 18:04:37 question first ministerially corrected 30/01/2019 08:51:58 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James previous answer version 98327 answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4675 label Biography information for Kirstene Hair

1105660

registered interest
date	27/03/2019
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	Mobile Phones: Rural Areas
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 made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling mobile phone roaming between mobile service network operators in rural areas.
tabling member constituency	Angus
tabling member printed	Kirstene Hair
uin	237770
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to extending geographic mobile coverage to 95% of the UK by 2022, as well as providing an uninterrupted mobile signal on all major roads.</p><p> </p><p>Roaming in rural areas has the potential to improve consumer choice and could be a solution for the problem of “partial not-spots.” This is currently mandated for emergency calls so that a 999 call can be made from any mobile in all areas where there is a signal from at least one operator.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s recently published consultation on our Statement of Strategic Priorities urges Ofcom to fully consider the costs and benefits of roaming as an approach to improving mobile coverage more generally, and to maintain the option of requiring roaming by including appropriate provisions when granting rights of use for spectrum.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 05/04/2019 11:22:12 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4675 label Biography information for Kirstene Hair

1082367

registered interest
date	05/03/2019
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	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Brexit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many members of staff in his Department are working full-time on preparation for an adequacy assessment by the European Commission following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
tabling member constituency	Argyll and Bute
tabling member printed	Brendan O'Hara
uin	228764
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2019 answer text <p>I refer the Hon member to the answer given to PQ 218152 from 20th February.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 13/03/2019 14:11:48 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4371 label Biography information for Brendan O'Hara

1020300

registered interest
date	05/12/2018
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 and Mobile Phones: Rural Areas
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 steps he is taking to improve broadband and mobile phone coverage in rural areas.
tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
tabling member printed	David Duguid
uin	199468
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2018 answer text <p>The Government’s policy is to ensure world-class broadband connectivity across the UK, including in rural areas, and includes the following steps which have been designed to improve broadband and mobile phone coverage in rural areas.</p><p> </p><p>£1.7 billion of public money is being invested to support vital improvements in superfast broadband coverage across the UK, including in rural areas. In December 2017, we met our target to extend superfast coverage to 95% of UK premises, and we expect to reach at least 97%. .</p><p> </p><p>We have also put in place legislation to create a new Universal Service Obligation giving every household and business the right to request a broadband connection of at least 10 Mbps by 2020, to ensure no-one is left behind. In addition, the Better Broadband Scheme provides additional voucher funding to UK premises that do not have access to an affordable broadband service delivering at least 2Mbps. This will provide a safety net until the USO is in place by 2020</p><p> </p><p>We want to provide world class digital connectivity that is gigabit-capable, reliable, long-lasting and widely available across the UK. We have set ambitious targets - for 15 million premises to be connected to full fibre by 2025, with nationwide coverage by 2033. In the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, we set out our long term national strategy to meet these targets, and to ensure that rural and remote areas are not left behind. Critical to delivering this ambition, is the “outside-in” approach set out in the review, which seeks to ensure that the harder to reach, mostly rural areas which are not viable for commercial investment - are addressed at the same pace as the rest of the country.</p><p> </p><p>The £200m Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) programme announced in the Budget on 29 October 2018 marks the first step in this “outside-in” process and will prioritise the delivery full fibre to premises in rural and remote areas. The RGC builds on the Local Full Fibre Networks programme which includes a £190 million Challenge Fund designed to stimulate commercial investment in full fibre networks in both rural and urban locations across the UK. In addition, Defra has also allocated £30 million of grant funding from the Rural Development Programme for England, targeted at helping to connect businesses with superfast broadband in hard to reach rural areas.</p><p> </p><p>On Mobile services, the Government is committed to ensuring that the UK has good quality, consistent mobile connectivity where people live, work and travel. Mobile coverage has significantly improved over recent years, with 87% of UK landmass having a 4G signal from at least one operator (compared to 78% in 2017). My Department is also working across Government, and with others, to ensure delivery of our manifesto commitment to secure 95% geographic coverage of the UK by 2022. Alongside this work, we welcome the opportunity that Ofcom's proposed 700MHz auction presents to improve mobile coverage across the UK, including in rural areas.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 14/12/2018 11:43:04 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4606 label Biography information for David Duguid

1077185

registered interest
date	25/02/2019
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: Scotland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he next plans to meet with his Scottish Government counterpart to discuss increasing the availability of superfast broadband in Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
tabling member printed	David Duguid
uin	225601
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State met his Scottish counterpart, Michael Matheson MSP, in August 2018 shortly after assuming the office of Secretary of State. Officials from Broadband Delivery UK meet regularly with Scottish officials on behalf of the Department to discuss broadband rollout in Scotland, with the most recent meeting being held on 21 February.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 05/03/2019 15:13:19 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	4606 label Biography information for David Duguid