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1605360

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Universal Service Obligation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the £3,400 limit per property to install broadband as set out in the Universal Service Obligation for Broadband, launched in March 2020, given the widening digital divide.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Exeter
uin	HL6619
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2023 answer text <p>The technical specifications and cost thresholds of the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) aim to ensure that it remains relevant over time to meet the rising needs of consumers' expectations and demands, providing them with a safety net of provision to ensure effective participation in society and the economy.</p><p>The Communications Act 2003 includes an automatic request for the Secretary of State to give direction to Ofcom to review the USO once at least 75% of premises in the UK subscribe to a broadband service that provides download speeds of at least 30 Mbps. As of September 2022, Ofcom reports that 70% of premises are subscribed to such a service. We continue to liaise with Ofcom on uptake relative to the trigger, and on the broadband USO.</p><p>Under S72A Communication Act 2003, it is the responsibility of Ofcom, upon such direction, to ‘review and report...on any provision made, or that may be made, by the universal service order’ including the cost of a broadband connection.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 24/03/2023 13:41:38 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
tabling member	4929 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Exeter

1546797

registered interest
date	30/11/2022
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	Broadband: Universal Service Obligation
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 she is taking to ensure the future of the Universal Service Obligation for broadband.
tabling member constituency	Wansbeck
tabling member printed	Ian Lavery
uin	99850
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2022 answer text <p>The broadband Universal service Obligation (USO) was launched in March 2020 and acts as a ‘digital safety net’ providing every premises with the legal right to request a decent broadband service providing speeds of at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload.</p><p>As the independent regulator, it is the responsibility of Ofcom to administer and monitor the broadband USO and ensure that the two Universal Service Providers comply with the obligations placed on them.</p><p>As set out in the <em>Communications Act 2003</em>, the Secretary of State must give Ofcom a direction to review the broadband USO once at least 75% of premises in the United Kingdom, on the basis of Ofcom’s data, take up a broadband service with a download speed of at least 30 megabits per second. As of September 2021 Ofcom reported that 69% of premises in the UK had taken up a superfast broadband service.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 07/12/2022 16:12:08 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4139 label Biography information for Ian Lavery

1519122

registered interest
date	10/10/2022
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	Broadband: Universal Service Obligation
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 recent steps she has taken to progress her policy to provide all households with broadband speeds which satisfy the Universal Service Obligation.
tabling member constituency	North Swindon
tabling member printed	Justin Tomlinson
uin	59230
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2022 answer text <p>In March 2021, we launched our £5 billion Project Gigabit to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK. Project Gigabit’s objective is to level up the UK by giving hard-to-reach areas access to gigabit-capable internet speeds and, coupled with commercial gigabit delivery, ensuring almost all of the UK has access to gigabit-capable internet as soon as possible.</p><p>We have recently signed our first local Project Gigabit contracts in North Dorset and Teesdale, prioritising delivery to rural, hard-to-reach premises and to those with the lowest broadband speeds, and we will be awarding further contracts over the coming months.</p><p>Furthermore, up to £210 million is available for Gigabit Broadband Vouchers to support rural communities with the cost of installing new gigabit-capable connections.</p><p>Separately to Project Gigabit, the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) provides the legal right to request a decent broadband connection, helping to ensure full participation in both society and the economy.</p><p>Since its launch in 2020, the number of premises eligible for the broadband USO has fallen from 189,000 to 66,000 as of May 2022. Ofcom estimates that a further 17,000 premises are currently unable to receive a decent broadband connection, but are expected to receive an upgrade by a publicly funded rollout scheme within the next 12 months.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 18/10/2022 12:48:17 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson

1490395

registered interest
date	18/07/2022
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	Broadband: Universal Service Obligation
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 has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes in TV distribution methods on universal access to public service broadcasting, including for low income households that cannot afford broadband.
tabling member constituency	Mitcham and Morden
tabling member printed	Siobhain McDonagh
uin	38487
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2022 answer text <p>The Government is supportive of a modern system of public service broadcasting that remains relevant and can continue to meet the needs of UK audiences in the future. In particular, the government believes that television audiences should continue to have access to a wide range of public service content on a free-to-air basis.</p><p>The rapid growth in the take-up of superfast broadband and the proliferation of devices capable of connecting to the internet is changing the way we access audiovisual content. For example, 79% of households with a TV set now choose to connect it to the internet, giving them access to a wide array of additional services. These include both free-to-air and subscription-based video-on-demand services.</p><p>As set out in our Broadcasting White Paper, the government is taking steps to support public service broadcasting and to protect audiences who cannot (or choose not to) access these additional services. In particular, we facilitated the extension of the DTT (“Freeview”) platform until 2034, in recognition of the important role it will continue to play as a means of watching both public service and commercial television. This includes programmes intended to contribute to the learning and development of young people.</p><p>In addition, support is available for low-income households to access affordable broadband. A range of low-cost, broadband social tariffs are available in 99% of the UK. BT, Virgin Media O2, Sky, and other providers offer broadband social tariffs starting at £15 per month for households in receipt of Universal Credit and other means tested benefits. In addition, on 27 June, all the UK’s major broadband and mobile operators agreed a set of public <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/telecoms-industry-agrees-to-new-cost-of-living-plan-following-government-summit-led-by-digital-secretary-nadine-dorries" target="_blank">commitments</a> to support households with their connectivity costs.</p><p>For these reasons, the government has not undertaken an assessment of the effect on the learning and development of young people of TV channels only being available over the internet to those families who can afford to pay for those services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman grouped question UIN 38490 question first answered 25/07/2022 14:03:40 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	193 label Biography information for Dame Siobhain McDonagh

1167381

registered interest
date	30/10/2019
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: Universal Service Obligation
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 her Department has made on meeting the target to implement the Universal Service Obligation for broadband by March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	7753
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2019 answer text <p>We consulted on the specification for a broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) in 2017. DCMS published the outcome and response to this consultation in March 2018, and laid the relevant secondary legislation - the Electronic Communications (Universal Service) Order 2003 before parliament at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom is responsible for implementing the USO. This includes designating a Universal Service Provider(s), setting and enforcing the Universal Service Conditions that apply to the providers (such as how quickly connections must be delivered) and establishing an industry cost sharing fund.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom has conducted several consultations on the USO, and is working with the Universal Service Providers, BT and KCOM, as part of the implementation process that it is undertaking. Eligible consumers will be able to request a broadband USO connection directly from BT and KCOM respectively from March 2020.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 05/11/2019 13:48:03 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

1133473

registered interest
date	19/06/2019
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: Universal Service Obligation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in the implementation of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband; what recent assessment they have made of whether a 10Mbps minimum is fit for purpose for the modern economy; and when they plan to review the USO.
tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
uin	HL16508
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>On 6 June 2019, the telecoms regulator Ofcom, responsible for implementing the USO, announced that customers will be able to request Universal Service Obligation (USO) connections from March 2020, in line with the Government’s commitment.</p><p> </p><p>The USO will give customers the right to request a broadband connection with a download speed of at least 10Mbps. This download speed and the other quality parameters of the USO are in line with Ofcom’s advice on the needs of a typical household at present. However, recognising that take-up and use of broadband changes, the Government legislated to enable it to direct Ofcom to carry out reviews of the USO. Any review would look not just at the minimum download speed but all aspects of the USO specification. There is also a formal requirement for the Government to direct Ofcom to undertake a review when superfast broadband has been taken up by 75% of UK premises.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The USO is designed to act as a safety net to ensure everyone can access a minimum level of connectivity but the Government is also committed to investing to deliver faster speeds across the UK. Our Superfast programme has ensured superfast broadband (24mbps) coverage for over 96% of UK premises. Further, in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, the Government committed to an “outside-in” approach to the deployment of gigabit capable broadband, which will ensure that the least commercial areas of the country get this type of connectivity at the same time as the market deploys to more commercial areas. The first step in this approach is the £200 million Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) Programme, which will test a model of connecting public sector buildings with gigabit capable connections, starting with primary schools. The RGC programme also has a rural gigabit broadband voucher component, offering up to £3,500 for small businesses and up to £1,500 for residents to encourage the take-up of gigabit-capable connectivity by residents and businesses in rural areas.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 03/07/2019 16:37:28 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn