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1581968

registered interest
date	30/01/2023
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	Telephone Systems: 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, with reference to telecommunication providers transitioning from analogue to digital landlines, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of that transition on rural communities.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	135333
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2023 answer text <p>The analogue landline network, also known as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is privately owned and the decision to upgrade it has been taken by the telecoms industry. That said, DCMS is working closely with industry to ensure nobody is adversely affected by the upgrade, including the small number of rural areas which have limited digital connectivity. I chaired an industry roundtable in January to discuss how best to raise public awareness for the migration.</p><p>The replacement Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services require a minimum stable connection speed of just 0.5Mbps in order to function correctly. As a result, rural communities with limited digital connectivity can also be upgraded to digital telephony services. For current landline-only customers, it will be possible to order a VoIP landline without purchasing a general internet connection. Moreover, the migration from analogue landlines does not affect the universal service obligations set in the Electronic Communications (Universal Service) Order 2003 which require the designated providers, BT and KCOM, to offer telephony services throughout the UK.</p><p>Ofcom is responsible for ensuring telecoms providers adhere to their regulatory obligations throughout the migration process. Ofcom has published <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/123118/guidance-emergency-access-power-cut.pdf" target="_blank">guidance</a> which states that providers must take steps to identify and protect at-risk consumers, including consumers in rural communities who are dependent on their landline. This guidance states that providers should have at least one solution available that enables access to emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power outage. The solution should be suitable for customers needs and should be offered free of charge.</p><p>DCMS is also working hard to improve rural connectivity through the £5 billion Project Gigabit programme and the £1 billion Shared Rural Network.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 07/02/2023 10:53:02 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1581969

registered interest
date	30/01/2023
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	Television Licences: Solihull
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 black and white television licenses were issued in the Solihull constituency in 2022.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	135334
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2023 answer text <p>Under the Communications Act 2003 a fee for a television licence is payable to the BBC. The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the Government. The Government is therefore not involved in TV Licensing operations and therefore does not hold the data requested.</p><p>The BBC’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2021/22 states that 4,000 black and white (monochrome) licences were in force as of 31 March 2022. The report does not break down this figure on a regional basis, so I recommend that you raise your query directly with the BBC if you wish to request further information about black and white television licences.</p><p>TV Licensing can be contacted by telephone on 0300 790 0368 or in writing at TV Licensing, Darlington, DL98 1TL. Other methods of contacting TV Licensing are set out on its website: <a href="https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/cs/contact-us/index.app" target="_blank">https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/cs/contact-us/index.app</a>.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 07/02/2023 09:59:09 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1564122

registered interest
date	06/01/2023
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: Competition
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 oral contribution of the Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure of 26 May 2022, Official Report, column 400, in response to the hon. Member for Buckingham, if she will have discussions with Ofcom on the potential effect of Equinox on competition in the fixed telecoms infrastructure market.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	117622
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2023 answer text <p>The Government’s Statement of Strategic Priorities for Ofcom, published in 2019, states that we want to see stable and long-term regulation that incentivises network investment and ensures fair and effective competition between new and existing network operators. The Department regularly meets with Ofcom at all levels to discuss progress against its strategic priorities.</p><p>The Government has noted the recent announcement of Openreach’s “Equinox” offer which is currently under review by Ofcom. Regulation in the telecoms market is a matter for Ofcom which is an independent regulator, and it would be inappropriate for me to comment on its ongoing review process.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 12/01/2023 17:54:17 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1549403

registered interest
date	07/12/2022
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	Ofcom: Competition
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 Ofcom’s ability to (a) protect and (b) promote competition among fixed telecoms infrastructure providers.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	105369
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2022 answer text <p>The Government’s Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for Ofcom (published in 2019) sets out that Ofcom must take account of the Government’s priorities for full-fibre connectivity, including by delivering stable and long-term regulation that incentivises network investment and ensures fair and effective competition between new and existing network operators when taking its regulatory decisions.</p><p>Ofcom is required to report on how it has considered the Statement every twelve months. The updates which form part of Ofcom’s Annual Reports can be found here: <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/annual-reports-and-plans" target="_blank">https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/annual-reports-and-plans</a>.</p><p>Additionally, in 2021 Ofcom published its Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review (WFTMR) which set out Ofcom’s decisions for regulation of the fixed telecoms markets until 2026. The WFTMR makes explicit mention of the government’s desire for regulatory stability and certainty set out in the Statement of Strategic Priorities.</p><p>Since the publication of our SSP for Ofcom, there are now over 80 companies investing over £35bn to connect premises all over the UK, and gigabit coverage has increased to over 72%, rising from just 6%.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 105370 question first answered 14/12/2022 13:49:43 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1549405

registered interest
date	07/12/2022
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	Ofcom: Competition
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 Ofcom's performance on its promoting and protecting competition responsibility set out by the Statement of Strategic Priorities; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	105370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2022 answer text <p>The Government’s Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for Ofcom (published in 2019) sets out that Ofcom must take account of the Government’s priorities for full-fibre connectivity, including by delivering stable and long-term regulation that incentivises network investment and ensures fair and effective competition between new and existing network operators when taking its regulatory decisions.</p><p>Ofcom is required to report on how it has considered the Statement every twelve months. The updates which form part of Ofcom’s Annual Reports can be found here: <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/annual-reports-and-plans" target="_blank">https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/annual-reports-and-plans</a>.</p><p>Additionally, in 2021 Ofcom published its Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review (WFTMR) which set out Ofcom’s decisions for regulation of the fixed telecoms markets until 2026. The WFTMR makes explicit mention of the government’s desire for regulatory stability and certainty set out in the Statement of Strategic Priorities.</p><p>Since the publication of our SSP for Ofcom, there are now over 80 companies investing over £35bn to connect premises all over the UK, and gigabit coverage has increased to over 72%, rising from just 6%.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 105369 question first answered 14/12/2022 13:49:43 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1537948

registered interest
date	01/11/2022
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	Telecommunications: Codes of Practice
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 impact on local government finance, including for Wolverhampton, Swindon and Leeds City Councils, of forthcoming changes to the Electronic Communications Code 2017.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	75970
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2022 answer text <p>The reforms made to the Electronic Communications 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. The Government realised 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 Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill (the Bill) contains provisions which will, amongst other things, amend the Code. Prior to the Bill’s introduction an assessment was carried out on potential impacts of reforms in the Bill, but this was general in nature and did not focus on specific categories of landowner.</p><p>Digital communications infrastructure needs to be rolled out in the right places. From this perspective, publicly owned land must be treated no differently from privately owned land. Although the reforms made to the Code in 2017 may have caused revenue from local authority sites to decrease, they will, however, gain through increased connectivity in their districts and from the economic growth which will accompany increased coverage.</p><p>The Government does not intend to carry out any additional assessment on the Bill’s potential impact on local authorities. Many consensual Code agreements include a confidentiality clause, meaning that information about the financial terms agreed cannot be shared with others or made publicly available, except in limited circumstances or with the other party’s consent. In addition, the financial arrangements underpinning these agreements can vary significantly: for example, in some instances the parties may agree to up front or lump sum payments, instead of, or as well as, ongoing rental payments.</p><p>It would therefore be extremely difficult to conduct such an assessment as it is unlikely that comprehensive data would be available. In any event, we do not believe such an assessment is needed or appropriate. Local authorities are responsible for managing their own budgets. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities collects data returns from local authorities in England, however data on the Code or the revenue from telecoms infrastructure sites is not included in these returns. The financial position of councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the relevant devolved administration.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 08/11/2022 08:59:46 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

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

1503525

registered interest
date	02/09/2022
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	Building Digital UK
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 network operators have submitted build plans to Building Digital UK as part of the Gigabit Open Market Review and Public Review activity as of 2 September 2022.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	45191
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2022 answer text <p>As part of our Open Market Review and Public Review processes for Project Gigabit we ask broadband suppliers to submit build plans containing their current coverage and/or future build intentions. As of 2 September 2022, 61 broadband suppliers have submitted build plans to Building Digital UK.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 20/09/2022 08:30:02 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1503526

registered interest
date	02/09/2022
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	Building Digital UK
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 operator build plans has Building Digital UK accepted in full as part of its market analysis.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	45179
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2022 answer text <p>As part of our Open Market Review and Public Review processes for Project Gigabit we ask broadband suppliers to submit build plans containing their current coverage and/or future build intentions. Building Digital UK (BDUK) encourages suppliers to provide as much information as possible in support of their claims and plans, with each submission assessed on its own merits.</p><p>Since the first BDUK-led Open Market Review was launched in March 2021, eight build plans have been assessed as credible in full by BDUK. A further 143 build plans have been partially assessed as credible, and 64 build plans have been assessed as not currently credible in full or in part.</p><p>As of 2 September 2022, 52 operator build plans are in the process of being assessed.</p><p>BDUK reassesses suppliers’ build plans on a regular basis through our National Rolling Open Market Review. This ensures that we have the most up to date information about these suppliers’ existing and planned build which we use to continuously inform where subsidy is likely to be needed to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach areas.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 45201 45227 question first answered 20/09/2022 08:37:25 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight