Broadband and the road to 5G

Culture, Media and Sport Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 3 Mar 2020 Closed: 20 Apr 2021 Parliament page
MPs launch an inquiry into Broadband and road to 5G to examine Government’s pledge to ensure every home and business in the UK has gigabit-capable broadband by 2025. The inquiry will focus on how realistic the ambition is, what is needed to achieve it, and what the Government’s target will … Read more
7 Recommendations
9 Conclusions
3 Reports
2 Oral sessions
1 Letter
2 Events
Activity timeline 9 events
20 Apr
2021
Report published
23 Mar
2021
Correspondence
5 Mar
2021
Report published
5 Mar
2021
Report published
22 Dec
2020
Report published
20 Oct
2020
Oral evidence
20 Oct
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
24 Sep
2020
Oral evidence
24 Sep
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 5, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions
20 Oct 2020
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Matt Warman MP · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
24 Sep 2020
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Andrew Glover · Internet Service Providers Association Gareth Elliott · Mobile UK Malcolm Corbett · Independent Networks Co-operative Association
Recommendations & Conclusions
16 results
1 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
Sticking to unachievable targets benefits no-one, and it was inevitable that the Government would have...
Sticking to unachievable targets benefits no-one, and it was inevitable that the Government would have to abandon its unrealistic manifesto pledge to deliver nationwide gigabit connectivity by 2025. Ministers should be ready to respond openly, in answering questions from members … Read more
Government Response
The Government wants to become a world leader in connectivity and increase the UK’s productivity and competitiveness. We have therefore set ambitious targets for gigabit-capable broadband, and a clear strategy … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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2 Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
It would not be acceptable having abandoned one unrealistic target, for the Government to fail...
It would not be acceptable having abandoned one unrealistic target, for the Government to fail to meet a second, less ambitious, target through lack of effective planning or inadequate investment. The Government should outline, in its response to this Report … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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3 Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
The Government’s technology-agnostic approach to securing a nationwide gigabit- capable network makes sense in the...
The Government’s technology-agnostic approach to securing a nationwide gigabit- capable network makes sense in the context of delivering faster connections to as many premises as possible as quickly as possible. However, the Government must not let it come with a … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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4 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
It is difficult to see how £5 billion will be enough to meet the Government’s...
It is difficult to see how £5 billion will be enough to meet the Government’s aim of delivering gigabit broadband to the hardest-to-reach 20% of premises. Investment in digital infrastructure is too important to be compromised. It is therefore disappointing … Read more
Government Response
The Government remains committed to the ‘Outside In’ approach that we outlined in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review. This is why we are not waiting until commercial delivery is complete … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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5 Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
The Government should outline in its response to this Report, if not before, how the...
The Government should outline in its response to this Report, if not before, how the remaining £3.8 billion has been ringfenced and when it expects to make it available for delivering gigabit-capable broadband to the hardest-to-reach properties. (Paragraph 50) Broadband … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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6 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
There are technical reasons why 5G will not be the silver bullet for delivering gigabit...
There are technical reasons why 5G will not be the silver bullet for delivering gigabit connectivity to rural areas but this will be exacerbated if the roll-out of 5G follows the same commercially-driven pattern as previous generations of mobile technology. … Read more
Government Response
The Government remains focused on the UK becoming a world leader in 5G mobile technology, and for consumers and businesses across the UK to see the benefits of 5G as … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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7 Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
The Government should complete a formal review of progress towards its targets for gigabit-capable broadband...
The Government should complete a formal review of progress towards its targets for gigabit-capable broadband and 5G by the end of 2022 and report back to us on progress. (Paragraph 60) Demand for gigabit connectivity
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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8 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
Ensuring there is sufficient demand for gigabit-capable broadband must not be an afterthought and based...
Ensuring there is sufficient demand for gigabit-capable broadband must not be an afterthought and based on consumer behaviours and take-up of existing technologies, cannot be assumed to be a given. We are concerned that the Government has not given enough … Read more
Government Response
The Government recognised the importance of demand for gigabit-capable networks in its Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, published in July 2018, and its Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP), which was designated … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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9 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
Getting the design of the gigabit programme right is absolutely essential, especially as its budget...
Getting the design of the gigabit programme right is absolutely essential, especially as its budget for the next four years will be only 25% of what was expected. Some parts of the country will still get left behind when it … Read more
Government Response
The Government set out the importance of regulation that promotes competition and investment in new gigabit-capable networks wherever possible in our 2018 Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review and Statement of Strategic … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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10 Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
The Government should outline in its response to this Report, if not before, what the...
The Government should outline in its response to this Report, if not before, what the Spending Review and 85% target mean for its ‘outside-in’ ambition and its strategy for delivering to those semi-urban areas unlikely to benefit from commercial roll- … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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11 Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
The roll-out of gigabit-capable networks will put considerable strain on local authorities, which are already...
The roll-out of gigabit-capable networks will put considerable strain on local authorities, which are already facing considerable pressures on their budgets. The Government must retain the expertise gained through the superfast programme and ensure local authorities are resourced sufficiently to … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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12 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
We are not convinced that the technology-agnostic approach to delivering gigabit-capable broadband extends much beyond...
We are not convinced that the technology-agnostic approach to delivering gigabit-capable broadband extends much beyond ministerial pronouncements. The Government needs to take a more joined-up approach to fixed and mobile telecoms policy, especially when it comes to interventions for the … Read more
Government Response
The Department’s interventions are designed to be technology neutral, and this is reflected in the terms and conditions published to the market for each intervention. Similarly, in the case of … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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13 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
We are concerned that Ofcom has significant catching up to do for its regulatory regime...
We are concerned that Ofcom has significant catching up to do for its regulatory regime to deliver the Government’s goals and protect consumers. The regulatory framework proposed in the Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review has the potential to undermine the … Read more
Government Response
The Government set out the importance of regulation that promotes competition and investment in new gigabit-capable networks wherever possible in our 2018 Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review and Statement of Strategic … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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14 Recommendation
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
Judging by the legislative measures to date, the scale of the Government’s efforts to tackle...
Judging by the legislative measures to date, the scale of the Government’s efforts to tackle the most serious barriers to roll-out does not match the scale of its ambition for gigabit connectivity. Despite the challenges of the 2025 target, the … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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15 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
Again, the Government’s ‘wait and see’ approach to ensuring sufficient numbers of engineers does not...
Again, the Government’s ‘wait and see’ approach to ensuring sufficient numbers of engineers does not reflect the scale of the infrastructure and industry challenge to meet its targets for rolling out nationwide full fibre. The Minister’s assertion that the UK … Read more
Government Response
The nationwide rollout of gigabit connectivity in the UK is expected to create thousands of new high-quality engineering jobs. Alongside the direct benefits that increased connectivity brings, the Government believes … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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16 Conclusion
Fourth Report - Broadband and the …
Industry’s calls for regulatory and business rate reform, as well as removing barriers to roll-out,...
Industry’s calls for regulatory and business rate reform, as well as removing barriers to roll-out, will not come as any surprise to Ministers; however, these long-standing policy recommendations demonstrate a gap between the Government’s ambition and the action it has … Read more
Government Response
The Government is delivering a highly ambitious programme to remove barriers to the deployment of gigabit-capable broadband, as set out earlier in this response. The work carried out to date … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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Correspondence 1 letter
23 Mar 2021 To committee Letter from Dame Melanie Dawes, Chief Executive, Ofcom, re Broadband and road to 5G, 18 March 2021
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