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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

868470

registered interest
date	21/03/2018
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: 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 has been made on preparations to implement the broadband universal service obligation; if he will prioritise the allocation of broadband funding for areas with (a) very slow and (b) no connections; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Yorkshire
tabling member printed	Sir Greg Knight
uin	133690
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2018 answer text <p>By 2020 the Universal Service Obligation (USO) will give everyone the legal right to high speed broadband of at least 10Mbps.</p><p> </p><p>We created new powers for this in the Digital Economy Act 2017, and subsequently ran a public consultation on the design of the USO, which we will be setting in secondary legislation very shortly.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom will then be responsible for implementing the USO, including designating the universal service providers and the design of an industry cost-sharing fund.</p><p> </p><p>The USO is demand-led, and will, upon request, allow anyone who does not have a connection that meets the minimum specification from a designated provider, no matter where they live or work, up to a reasonable cost threshold.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 26/03/2018 14:59:00 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	1200 label Biography information for Sir Greg Knight

838543

registered interest
date	07/02/2018
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: 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, for what reasons 10mbps was chosen as the broadband speed for the universal service obligation.
tabling member constituency	New Forest West
tabling member printed	Sir Desmond Swayne
uin	127363
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2018 answer text <p>10Mbps is the minimum download speed that Ofcom says is needed to meet the typical needs of an average family. This will enable simultaneous live streaming of television, video calling, emailing and basic web browsing. Consumers on connections of less than 10Mbps tend to use less data, suggesting that internet usage is constrained below this speed.</p><p> </p><p>Download speed is not the only quality requirement to be included in the proposed Universal Service Obligation (USO) specification. We have also proposed to include within the specification requirements for upload speed, contention (how many premises are using the network), latency (delays) and data capacity, which can all impact on what a consumer can do online.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 20/02/2018 16:35:11 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne

833081

registered interest
date	29/01/2018
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: 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 the 10Mbps minimum speed for broadband under the universal service obligation will be the minimum speed consumers receive in their homes at peak times; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	North East Hertfordshire
tabling member printed	Sir Oliver Heald
uin	125397
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2018 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">The Department is currently undertaking evaluation of the Superfast Broadband Programme’s role in improving broadband connectivity and reaching areas that would otherwise not have been reached through commercial plans. The evaluation is focusing on the economic and social impacts of the programme, including the impact of the superfast programme on business performance and growth, employment, on quality of life and the reduction in benefits claimants in areas that would have lost out to higher connectivity areas, if it were not for the programme.</del></p><p> </p><p><del class="ministerial">The Department released The UK Broadband Impact Study in 2013 which made an assessment of the impacts of faster broadband including the economic impacts. The study can be accessed on the Department's website (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-broadband-impact-study--2). The Department will be producing results from the current evaluation in 2018.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">There is a difference between what we define as the download speed, or sync speed, and the actual speed end users experience. The sync speed is the maximum speed that is achievable on the connection between the network and the premises. In reality, the actual speed that is provided to an end user is typically lower than the sync speed and this will vary depending on the number of other people using the network at that point in time. The specification that we consulted on was for a sync speed of at least 10Mbps. Ofcom says that a 10Mbps sync speed meets the needs of a typical household.</ins></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 01/02/2018 12:36:04 question first ministerially corrected 06/02/2018 11:40:42 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James previous answer version 38707 answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	69 label Biography information for Sir Oliver Heald

808925

registered interest
date	18/12/2017
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, when her Department plans to publish the outcome of its consultation on the broadband universal service obligation.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	120034
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2017 answer text <p>I refer the hon member to the Written Ministerial Statement entitled Delivery of Universal Broadband issued on 20th December.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matt Hancock grouped question UIN 119930 question first answered 21/12/2017 16:55:00 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

804475

registered interest
date	11/12/2017
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 assessment she has made of whether BT Group’s voluntary offer to deliver a universal service obligation in broadband will deliver universal 10mbps coverage across the UK by 2020.
tabling member constituency	Argyll and Bute
tabling member printed	Brendan O'Hara
uin	118678
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2017 answer text The Government’s ambition is to ensure universal access to broadband at minimum speeds of 10Mbps by 2020, so that no home or business is left behind. We are considering the best route to deliver universal broadband, whether to introduce a new regulatory broadband Universal Service Obligation, or whether to accept BT’s voluntary offer. We will make an announcement on our proposed approach shortly. answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matt Hancock question first answered 19/12/2017 09:50:33 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4371 label Biography information for Brendan O'Hara

800688

registered interest
date	04/12/2017
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, further to the Written Answer of 13 November to Question 111397, what the timetable is for for a decision on delivering universal broadband; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	117309
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2017 answer text <p>We expect to make a decision on our proposed approach for delivering universal broadband shortly, and will make a statement at that time.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matt Hancock question first answered 13/12/2017 10:25:22 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore

786825

registered interest
date	10/11/2017
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 assessment she has made of the effect on (a) technological development and (b) minimum speeds of the proposal by BT to deliver the Universal Service Obligation.
tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
uin	112201
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>The Department is looking at two approaches for delivering universal broadband of at least 10Mbps - a regulatory USO and BT's voluntary proposal. Assessment of both approaches is ongoing, and a decision will be made in due course on which approach best meets consumers' needs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matt Hancock question first answered 20/11/2017 15:06:38 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

783178

registered interest
date	03/11/2017
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, if the Government will publish the full description of BT's voluntary offer to deliver the Universal Service Obligation for broadband, the Government's response to that offer and the timetable for the release of those publications.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
uin	111397
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2017 answer text <p>On 6 October, Openreach published details of the key elements of the offer which are available here (<a href="https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/updates/downloads/Deliveringuniversalbroadbandcoverage.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/updates/downloads/Deliveringuniversalbroadbandcoverage.pdf</a>) . The Department is currently considering two approaches for delivering universal broadband - a regulatory USO and BT's voluntary proposal. A decision will be made in due course on which approach to follow.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matt Hancock question first answered 13/11/2017 13:39:17 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore