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1565592

	registered interest
	date	10/01/2023
	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	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	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 regulations exist that govern how close to existing residential properties telecommunication apparatus can be installed.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	119978
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2023 answer text <p>When installing apparatus on both public and private land, operators must follow the provisions contained in the Electronic Communications Code. Further requirements for operators are set out in the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003. Operators must also comply with any applicable planning requirements, including any conditions, set out in relevant legislation.</p><p>Both fixed-line and mobile operators should also follow the relevant code of practice when deploying telecommunication apparatus so that it is placed appropriately, and local authorities and communities are engaged prior to installation. The codes of practice set out the required notification requirements where new apparatus to be installed by the operator, to indicate to nearby residents the intention to install apparatus as the proposed location.</p><p>Through Ofcom’s spectrum licence conditions, operators of radio equipment are also required to comply with the international guidelines for limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields for the protection of the general public; operators are under a legal obligation to operate their radio equipment in accordance with the conditions of their licence.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 16/01/2023 17:06:09 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1521681

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2022
	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	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	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 she has been made of the potential impact of the 2017 Electronic Communications Code on rental payments to telecommunications equipment site providers.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Northfield
	tabling member printed	Gary Sambrook
	uin	62999
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2022 answer text <p>The 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code were intended to make it easier for digital communications operators to deploy and maintain their networks. Those changes included the introduction of a statutory valuation regime, which reflected the government’s view that the cost of acquiring rights to install digital infrastructure on private land prior to 2017 was too high and needed to be addressed. The valuation regime introduced in 2017 is more closely aligned to those for utilities such as water and electricity and reflects the fact that access to good quality digital services is an increasingly critical part of daily life for residents across the UK.</p><p>The Government continues to believe that the framework strikes the correct balance between ensuring individual landowners receive fair payments for allowing their land to be used and encouraging the industry investment needed for consumers across the UK to have access to fast, reliable digital services. Data provided to DCMS shows that so far this year agreements have been reached on 107 new sites, with heads of terms being agreed on a further 66. In relation to existing sites, 533 renewal agreements have been concluded so far this year, with heads of terms agreed on a further 119 sites. The data also shows that there has been a year on year increase in the number of concluded agreements since 2020. We think this reflects informal feedback we have received from all stakeholders suggesting that the market is adapting to the valuation framework.</p><p>Since the introduction of the reforms in 2017 we have engaged with and listened to stakeholders to understand the impact of the reforms in practice. This has included a formal consultation on further changes to the Code, which led to the provisions in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, as well as ongoing (and continuing) engagement with stakeholders throughout the passage of the Bill.</p><p>In parallel, DCMS officials have convened monthly Access to Land Workshops over the last 12-18 months, which cover a number of workstreams and attract attendance from stakeholders across the telecommunications industry, including site provider representatives. I am pleased to say that these workshops have made excellent progress and one of the outputs of this work is the creation of a new industry body, the National Connectivity Alliance, which in time will continue this work independently of DCMS.</p><p>Any impacts on the rights of individual property owners have been carefully considered and balanced against the public benefits of improved connectivity. In particular, where measures in the Bill have the potential to be applied retrospectively, the rights of landowners were given careful consideration.</p><p>The Government does not intend to separately or specifically review the Electronic Communications Code rental payments market. However, the government will continue to carefully monitor the effectiveness of this legislation. For example, officials will continue to engage with stakeholders in the period leading up to the Bill’s implementation and subsequently, to understand how the new provisions are working in practice.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 62786 62787 question first answered 21/10/2022 12:35:33 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4760 label Biography information for Gary Sambrook

1521743

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2022
	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	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	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 her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill on the individual property rights of site providers of telecommunications equipment.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	62786
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2022 answer text <p>The 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code were intended to make it easier for digital communications operators to deploy and maintain their networks. Those changes included the introduction of a statutory valuation regime, which reflected the government’s view that the cost of acquiring rights to install digital infrastructure on private land prior to 2017 was too high and needed to be addressed. The valuation regime introduced in 2017 is more closely aligned to those for utilities such as water and electricity and reflects the fact that access to good quality digital services is an increasingly critical part of daily life for residents across the UK.</p><p>The Government continues to believe that the framework strikes the correct balance between ensuring individual landowners receive fair payments for allowing their land to be used and encouraging the industry investment needed for consumers across the UK to have access to fast, reliable digital services. Data provided to DCMS shows that so far this year agreements have been reached on 107 new sites, with heads of terms being agreed on a further 66. In relation to existing sites, 533 renewal agreements have been concluded so far this year, with heads of terms agreed on a further 119 sites. The data also shows that there has been a year on year increase in the number of concluded agreements since 2020. We think this reflects informal feedback we have received from all stakeholders suggesting that the market is adapting to the valuation framework.</p><p>Since the introduction of the reforms in 2017 we have engaged with and listened to stakeholders to understand the impact of the reforms in practice. This has included a formal consultation on further changes to the Code, which led to the provisions in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, as well as ongoing (and continuing) engagement with stakeholders throughout the passage of the Bill.</p><p>In parallel, DCMS officials have convened monthly Access to Land Workshops over the last 12-18 months, which cover a number of workstreams and attract attendance from stakeholders across the telecommunications industry, including site provider representatives. I am pleased to say that these workshops have made excellent progress and one of the outputs of this work is the creation of a new industry body, the National Connectivity Alliance, which in time will continue this work independently of DCMS.</p><p>Any impacts on the rights of individual property owners have been carefully considered and balanced against the public benefits of improved connectivity. In particular, where measures in the Bill have the potential to be applied retrospectively, the rights of landowners were given careful consideration.</p><p>The Government does not intend to separately or specifically review the Electronic Communications Code rental payments market. However, the government will continue to carefully monitor the effectiveness of this legislation. For example, officials will continue to engage with stakeholders in the period leading up to the Bill’s implementation and subsequently, to understand how the new provisions are working in practice.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 62787 62999 question first answered 21/10/2022 12:35:34 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1521744

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2022
	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	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	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 metrics her Department uses to assess the functioning of the rental payments market within the Electronic Communications Code; and if she will undertake a review of the effectiveness of the functioning of this market.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	62787
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2022 answer text <p>The 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code were intended to make it easier for digital communications operators to deploy and maintain their networks. Those changes included the introduction of a statutory valuation regime, which reflected the government’s view that the cost of acquiring rights to install digital infrastructure on private land prior to 2017 was too high and needed to be addressed. The valuation regime introduced in 2017 is more closely aligned to those for utilities such as water and electricity and reflects the fact that access to good quality digital services is an increasingly critical part of daily life for residents across the UK.</p><p>The Government continues to believe that the framework strikes the correct balance between ensuring individual landowners receive fair payments for allowing their land to be used and encouraging the industry investment needed for consumers across the UK to have access to fast, reliable digital services. Data provided to DCMS shows that so far this year agreements have been reached on 107 new sites, with heads of terms being agreed on a further 66. In relation to existing sites, 533 renewal agreements have been concluded so far this year, with heads of terms agreed on a further 119 sites. The data also shows that there has been a year on year increase in the number of concluded agreements since 2020. We think this reflects informal feedback we have received from all stakeholders suggesting that the market is adapting to the valuation framework.</p><p>Since the introduction of the reforms in 2017 we have engaged with and listened to stakeholders to understand the impact of the reforms in practice. This has included a formal consultation on further changes to the Code, which led to the provisions in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, as well as ongoing (and continuing) engagement with stakeholders throughout the passage of the Bill.</p><p>In parallel, DCMS officials have convened monthly Access to Land Workshops over the last 12-18 months, which cover a number of workstreams and attract attendance from stakeholders across the telecommunications industry, including site provider representatives. I am pleased to say that these workshops have made excellent progress and one of the outputs of this work is the creation of a new industry body, the National Connectivity Alliance, which in time will continue this work independently of DCMS.</p><p>Any impacts on the rights of individual property owners have been carefully considered and balanced against the public benefits of improved connectivity. In particular, where measures in the Bill have the potential to be applied retrospectively, the rights of landowners were given careful consideration.</p><p>The Government does not intend to separately or specifically review the Electronic Communications Code rental payments market. However, the government will continue to carefully monitor the effectiveness of this legislation. For example, officials will continue to engage with stakeholders in the period leading up to the Bill’s implementation and subsequently, to understand how the new provisions are working in practice.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 62786 62999 question first answered 21/10/2022 12:35:34 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1521306

	registered interest
	date	12/10/2022
	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	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	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 her Department has made on the impact of the Electronic Communications Code 2017 on businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Solihull
	tabling member printed	Julian Knight
	uin	61957
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2022 answer text <p>The 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code were intended to make it easier for digital communications operators to deploy and maintain their networks. Those changes include the introduction of a statutory valuation regime, which reflected the government’s view that the cost of acquiring rights to install digital infrastructure on private land prior to 2017 was too high and needed to be addressed. The valuation regime introduced in 2017 is more closely aligned to those for utilities such as water and electricity and reflects the fact that access to good quality digital services is an increasingly critical part of daily life for residents across the UK.</p><p>The Government continues to believe that the framework strikes a fair balance between ensuring individual landowners are not left out of pocket and encouraging the industry investment needed for consumers across the UK to have access to fast, reliable digital services.</p><p>Since the introduction of the reforms in 2017 we have engaged with and listened to stakeholders to understand the impact of the reforms in practice. This has included a formal consultation on further changes to the Code, which led to the provisions in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, as well as ongoing (and continuing) engagement with stakeholders throughout the passage of the Bill.</p><p>In parallel, DCMS officials have convened monthly Access to Land Workshops over the last 12-18 months, which cover a number of workstreams and attract attendance from stakeholders across the telecommunications industry, including site provider representatives. I am pleased to say that these workshops have made excellent progress and one of the outputs of this work is the creation of a new industry body, the National Connectivity Alliance, which in time will continue this work independently of DCMS.</p><p>A de minimis assessment was carried out on the reforms to the Code contained in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill. This review was general in nature and did not focus on specific stakeholder groups. Once the measures in the Bill have commenced, officials will continue to engage with stakeholders to gain their feedback on how the new provisions are working in practice.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 61959 question first answered 19/10/2022 10:10:53 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1521308

	registered interest
	date	12/10/2022
	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	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	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 she has made of the impact of the valuation regime in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill on (a) smallholders and (b) landholders.
	tabling member constituency	Solihull
	tabling member printed	Julian Knight
	uin	61959
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2022 answer text <p>The 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code were intended to make it easier for digital communications operators to deploy and maintain their networks. Those changes include the introduction of a statutory valuation regime, which reflected the government’s view that the cost of acquiring rights to install digital infrastructure on private land prior to 2017 was too high and needed to be addressed. The valuation regime introduced in 2017 is more closely aligned to those for utilities such as water and electricity and reflects the fact that access to good quality digital services is an increasingly critical part of daily life for residents across the UK.</p><p>The Government continues to believe that the framework strikes a fair balance between ensuring individual landowners are not left out of pocket and encouraging the industry investment needed for consumers across the UK to have access to fast, reliable digital services.</p><p>Since the introduction of the reforms in 2017 we have engaged with and listened to stakeholders to understand the impact of the reforms in practice. This has included a formal consultation on further changes to the Code, which led to the provisions in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, as well as ongoing (and continuing) engagement with stakeholders throughout the passage of the Bill.</p><p>In parallel, DCMS officials have convened monthly Access to Land Workshops over the last 12-18 months, which cover a number of workstreams and attract attendance from stakeholders across the telecommunications industry, including site provider representatives. I am pleased to say that these workshops have made excellent progress and one of the outputs of this work is the creation of a new industry body, the National Connectivity Alliance, which in time will continue this work independently of DCMS.</p><p>A de minimis assessment was carried out on the reforms to the Code contained in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill. This review was general in nature and did not focus on specific stakeholder groups. Once the measures in the Bill have commenced, officials will continue to engage with stakeholders to gain their feedback on how the new provisions are working in practice.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 61957 question first answered 19/10/2022 10:10:53 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1489607

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2022
	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	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	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 she will make an estimate of the number of local authorities that have had reduced rental income from telecommunications apparatus following renegotiations with (a) network and (b) infrastructure providers after the Electronic Communications Code was reformed in 2017; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	37576
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2022 answer text <p>The reforms made to the Code in 2017 were intended to make it cheaper and easier for digital infrastructure to be deployed, maintained and upgraded. These reforms recognised the increasing importance of digital communications services to UK consumers and businesses, and to the wider economy.</p><p>The Government recognised that the reforms would mean landowners receiving lower payments for allowing their land or buildings to be used than had previously been the case. However, these changes were only introduced following an extensive period of consultation and research, and were considered necessary to reduce operator costs and encourage the industry investment required for the UK to get the digital communications infrastructure it needs.</p><p>The 2017 reforms did not retrospectively alter the terms of agreements that had been completed before the 2017 reforms came into force. However, once a Code agreement expires, it is open to either the operator or the site provider to seek a renewal of that agreement and negotiate new terms.</p><p>Most Code agreements are agreed on a consensual basis and often include a confidentiality clause, which means that information about its financial terms agreed cannot be shared with others or made publicly available, except in limited circumstances or with the other party’s permission. It is therefore not possible to estimate the number of local authorities which may have seen a reduction in rent following the expiry and renegotiation of Code agreements on their property since 2017.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 25/07/2022 13:14:01 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1486264

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2022
	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	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	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 her Department is taking to encourage collaborative and constructive negotiations and agreements for rights to install telecommunications apparatus.
	tabling member constituency	Bury North
	tabling member printed	James Daly
	uin	30203
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2022 answer text <p>The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill contains measures to encourage the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms, which are specifically aimed at encouraging more collaborative and constructive negotiations.</p><p>However, the government recognises that legislation is not the only way in which better collaboration can be achieved. Officials from my department have held monthly Access to Land Workshops over the last 12-18 months, which cover a number of workstreams and attract attendance from stakeholders across the telecommunications industry, including site provider representatives. I am pleased to say that these workshops have made excellent progress and one of the outputs of this work is the creation of a new industry body, which in time will continue this work independently of DCMS.</p><p>I understand that this body will be called the National Connectivity Alliance and that so far it has appointed a steering group of 24 members from across all parts of the telecommunications sector. It aims to bring together stakeholders from across the telecommunications industry to discuss issues of mutual interest, to improve collaboration and understanding and to be a forum where members can share best practice.</p><p>I welcome this development and fully support the creation of this body and wish them every success for the future. I hope that site providers and the telecommunications industry share my sentiments and will work together to ensure its success.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 11/07/2022 13:19:48 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
	tabling member	4854 label Biography information for James Daly

1399160

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2022
	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	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	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 she or her officials have met with telecommunications companies to discuss changes to the Electronic Communications Code.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	96849
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2022 answer text <p>My department’s response to the consultation on changes to the Electronic Communications Code was published on 24 November 2021.</p><p>Following publication of that document my officials have met with a number of stakeholders, including telecommunications companies and representatives of the site provider community, including those supported by the Protect and Connect Campaign. We will continue to engage with stakeholders as necessary during the passage of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 96850 question first answered 07/01/2022 10:29:22 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1399161

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2022
	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	Telecommunications: Infrastructure
	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 she or her officials have met with representatives of the Protect and Connect campaign to discuss changes to the Electronic Communications Code.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	96850
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2022 answer text <p>My department’s response to the consultation on changes to the Electronic Communications Code was published on 24 November 2021.</p><p>Following publication of that document my officials have met with a number of stakeholders, including telecommunications companies and representatives of the site provider community, including those supported by the Protect and Connect Campaign. We will continue to engage with stakeholders as necessary during the passage of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 96849 question first answered 07/01/2022 10:29:22 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman