Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1196941

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
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: Urban Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they provide to broadband consumers in urban areas who are not able to access superfast broadband from Openreach.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL4651
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2020 answer text <p>According to Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report, more than 98% of premises in urban areas can access superfast broadband. The Government’s Superfast programme has been instrumental in reaching this level of coverage, with £1.8 billion invested to date. The programme is still ongoing, and future delivery will further increase superfast coverage.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>For consumers unable to access download speeds of at least 10 megabits per second, including those on exchange only lines, the Government has legislated to introduce the broadband Universal Service Obligation, which provides households with a legal right to request this minimum speed up to a reasonable cost threshold of £3,400 per premise.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In addition, the Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit-capable broadband as soon as possible and has already invested in stimulating demand for gigabit broadband, including in urban areas. The £200 million Local Full Fibre Networks programme has funded projects in urban areas such as Belfast and London, for example.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government has also announced that it will invest a further £5 billion to provide gigabit-capable networks in the hardest to parts of the UK. This funding will focus on connecting more rural and remote areas but, alongside this, the Government is also taking action to reduce the barriers to deployment, and make it cheaper and easier for BT Openreach and other operators to roll out broadband commercially, including in urban and suburban areas. For example, we are taking the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill through Parliament, which will make it easier for network builders to access blocks of flats where there is an absent or unresponsive landlord.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Finally, mobile network operators already provide 4G mobile broadband services which provide a viable alternative to superfast coverage in urban areas. In addition, according to Ofcom’s December 2019 Connected Nations report, more than 40 towns and cities already have access to even faster 5G mobile services, and the rollout has developed further since then.</p><p> </p><p>As part of this, the Government has allocated £200 million from 2017 to March 2022 to support the further development of 5G through its 5G Testbeds &amp; Trials Programme, including up to £20 million in the West Midlands 5G (WM5G) Programme (over three years, to March 2022).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL4652 HL4654 question first answered 01/06/2020 10:54:25 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1196942

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
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: Urban Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they provide to broadband consumers who are unable to access (1) fibre-to-the-premises, or (2) fibre-to-the-cabinet, broadband from Openreach in urban areas where Openreach has no plans to make such services available.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL4652
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2020 answer text <p>According to Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report, more than 98% of premises in urban areas can access superfast broadband. The Government’s Superfast programme has been instrumental in reaching this level of coverage, with £1.8 billion invested to date. The programme is still ongoing, and future delivery will further increase superfast coverage.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>For consumers unable to access download speeds of at least 10 megabits per second, including those on exchange only lines, the Government has legislated to introduce the broadband Universal Service Obligation, which provides households with a legal right to request this minimum speed up to a reasonable cost threshold of £3,400 per premise.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In addition, the Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit-capable broadband as soon as possible and has already invested in stimulating demand for gigabit broadband, including in urban areas. The £200 million Local Full Fibre Networks programme has funded projects in urban areas such as Belfast and London, for example.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government has also announced that it will invest a further £5 billion to provide gigabit-capable networks in the hardest to parts of the UK. This funding will focus on connecting more rural and remote areas but, alongside this, the Government is also taking action to reduce the barriers to deployment, and make it cheaper and easier for BT Openreach and other operators to roll out broadband commercially, including in urban and suburban areas. For example, we are taking the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill through Parliament, which will make it easier for network builders to access blocks of flats where there is an absent or unresponsive landlord.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Finally, mobile network operators already provide 4G mobile broadband services which provide a viable alternative to superfast coverage in urban areas. In addition, according to Ofcom’s December 2019 Connected Nations report, more than 40 towns and cities already have access to even faster 5G mobile services, and the rollout has developed further since then.</p><p> </p><p>As part of this, the Government has allocated £200 million from 2017 to March 2022 to support the further development of 5G through its 5G Testbeds &amp; Trials Programme, including up to £20 million in the West Midlands 5G (WM5G) Programme (over three years, to March 2022).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL4651 HL4654 question first answered 01/06/2020 10:54:25 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1196943

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
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: Urban Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mandate the rollout by Openreach of fibre-to-the-premises broadband to urban areas; and what is their timeframe for this rollout.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL4653
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government's ambition is for nationwide coverage of gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible. Gigabit capable broadband can be delivered by fibre to the premise broadband, as well as other technologies, such as upgraded cable networks.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We believe the best way to deliver nationwide coverage is to promote network competition and commercial investment by BT Openreach and other operators wherever possible, and to intervene with public subsidy where necessary. To deliver this, we are taking action to reduce barriers to commercial deployment including, for example, through the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold) Property Bill, which will make it easier to connect tenanted properties with an unresponsive landlord. At Budget, we also committed to invest £5 billion to deliver gigabit capable deployment to the hardest to reach areas of the country.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government does not have formal powers to mandate the rollout of gigabit capable broadband by a private sector company like BT. However, BT recently announced their ambition to deliver gigabit connectivity to 20 million premises during the 2020s.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 02/06/2020 11:11:47 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1196944

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
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: Standards
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all consumers with exchange-only broadband connections are able to access superfast broadband.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL4654
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/06/2020 answer text <p>According to Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report, more than 98% of premises in urban areas can access superfast broadband. The Government’s Superfast programme has been instrumental in reaching this level of coverage, with £1.8 billion invested to date. The programme is still ongoing, and future delivery will further increase superfast coverage.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>For consumers unable to access download speeds of at least 10 megabits per second, including those on exchange only lines, the Government has legislated to introduce the broadband Universal Service Obligation, which provides households with a legal right to request this minimum speed up to a reasonable cost threshold of £3,400 per premise.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In addition, the Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit-capable broadband as soon as possible and has already invested in stimulating demand for gigabit broadband, including in urban areas. The £200 million Local Full Fibre Networks programme has funded projects in urban areas such as Belfast and London, for example.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government has also announced that it will invest a further £5 billion to provide gigabit-capable networks in the hardest to parts of the UK. This funding will focus on connecting more rural and remote areas but, alongside this, the Government is also taking action to reduce the barriers to deployment, and make it cheaper and easier for BT Openreach and other operators to roll out broadband commercially, including in urban and suburban areas. For example, we are taking the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill through Parliament, which will make it easier for network builders to access blocks of flats where there is an absent or unresponsive landlord.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Finally, mobile network operators already provide 4G mobile broadband services which provide a viable alternative to superfast coverage in urban areas. In addition, according to Ofcom’s December 2019 Connected Nations report, more than 40 towns and cities already have access to even faster 5G mobile services, and the rollout has developed further since then.</p><p> </p><p>As part of this, the Government has allocated £200 million from 2017 to March 2022 to support the further development of 5G through its 5G Testbeds &amp; Trials Programme, including up to £20 million in the West Midlands 5G (WM5G) Programme (over three years, to March 2022).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL4651 HL4652 question first answered 01/06/2020 10:54:25 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1196945

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
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: Standards
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in ensuring that every home and business in the UK will have access to (1) full fibre, and (2) gigabit-capable, broadband by 2025.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL4655
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations update found that, as of January 2020, over 3.5 million premises or 12% of the UK had access to full fibre broadband. This represents a considerable increase from 7% coverage in January 2019. In addition, the independent ThinkBroadband website estimates that around 19% of UK premises currently have access to gigabit capable broadband, including full fibre, but also upgraded cable broadband.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Full fibre figures for London boroughs are generally higher than the UK average. According to Connected Nations, 19 London Boroughs had full fibre coverage above the national average. However, there are notable differences between boroughs, ranging from full fibre coverage of 50.9% in Barking and Dagenham, compared to 1.1% in Bromley.</p><p><strong><br></strong>We are taking action to reduce barriers to commercial deployment and are confident that telecoms providers will step up and deliver gigabit capable coverage across London by 2025.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL4656 question first answered 02/06/2020 11:12:32 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1196946

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
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: Greater London
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect (1) full fibre, and (2) gigabit-capable, broadband will be available to every home and business in London.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL4656
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations update found that, as of January 2020, over 3.5 million premises or 12% of the UK had access to full fibre broadband. This represents a considerable increase from 7% coverage in January 2019. In addition, the independent ThinkBroadband website estimates that around 19% of UK premises currently have access to gigabit capable broadband, including full fibre, but also upgraded cable broadband.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Full fibre figures for London boroughs are generally higher than the UK average. According to Connected Nations, 19 London Boroughs had full fibre coverage above the national average. However, there are notable differences between boroughs, ranging from full fibre coverage of 50.9% in Barking and Dagenham, compared to 1.1% in Bromley.</p><p><strong><br></strong>We are taking action to reduce barriers to commercial deployment and are confident that telecoms providers will step up and deliver gigabit capable coverage across London by 2025.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL4655 question first answered 02/06/2020 11:12:32 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1189670

registered interest
date	21/04/2020
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: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding is available to help with the cost of installing (1) superfast, and (2) gigabit-capable, broadband to residential premises, either individually or as part of a Community Fibre Partnership; and whether such funding is available throughout the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL3188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2020 answer text <p>Under the Government’s Superfast Broadband programme, premises that are included in a rollout programme do not need to pay for the upgrade to their broadband speeds. They are, however, liable for the recurring costs associated with taking out a superfast service once the upgrade has been completed. These publicly funded rollout programmes are taking place across the UK. To date £1.8 billion of public funding has been invested into this programme, and a further £836 million of new procurement is underway utilising a variety of public funding sources.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Delivery under the Superfast programme is now utilising Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) technology where possible. This technology provides homes and businesses with a fast, reliable and future-proof connection. Furthermore commercial build operators are also rolling out FTTP to homes and businesses across the UK. This commercial build activity is not utilising public funding.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Through our Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme (RGC), DCMS runs a voucher scheme that can be used by rural communities across the UK to reduce the cost of installing gigabit-capable connectivity. This provides a voucher worth up to £3,500 for eligible small businesses and vouchers worth up to £1,500 for residents.</p><p>Community Fibre Partnerships are an initiative offered by Openreach. Openreach will work with local communities to build a customised fibre solution to bring fibre broadband to homes and businesses. A joint funding arrangement is put in place, which means Openreach will contribute to some of the costs and the rest is funded by the community.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Our vouchers can be used in an Openreach Community Fibre Partnership to reduce the costs borne by the community. It is worth noting, however, that Openreach is not the only supplier offering community fibre solutions, and we have over 700 network suppliers registered on the scheme. Our voucher website enables residents or small businesses to enter their postcode and see which suppliers are active in their area.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 28/04/2020 13:04:04 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1168572

registered interest
date	19/12/2019
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	Data Protection
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to amend the Data Protection Act 2018, following the introduction of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL30
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK’s data protection and rights framework remains fit for purpose and can continue to operate in a fast-changing landscape. The Government and the Information Commissioner’s Office keep legislation under constant review to ensure it keeps pace with technical and societal changes. There are powers in the Data Protection Act 2018, overseen by Parliament, to make changes using secondary legislation where appropriate.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 07/01/2020 16:32:50 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1168573

registered interest
date	19/12/2019
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	Data Protection
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ask the Information Commissioner's Office to issue further guidance on the scope of exemptions to the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation in relation to (1) research and development, and (2) science and innovation; and what plans they have, if any, to introduce statutory instruments on those matters.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL31
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2020 answer text <p>The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is an independent regulator and has the power to issue guidance under the UK’s data protection legislation. The ICO has stated that it is working on guidance for Data Sharing, Direct Marketing and Journalism. They can produce their own guidance should they have concerns on a specific area of the law.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 07/01/2020 16:32:26 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg

1168574

registered interest
date	19/12/2019
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	Data Protection
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to transfer responsibility for data protection from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to another Government Department.
tabling member printed	Lord Freyberg
uin	HL32
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/01/2020 answer text <p>Questions about the machinery of Government are not made at Departmental level, but the Government attaches great importance to the issue of data protection and the role it plays in building a strong and trusted data economy.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 07/01/2020 12:47:07 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	2593 label Biography information for Lord Freyberg