Brexit aside, of all the Government’s policy plans laid out in the Queen’s speech (today, October 14th) the one that will be most welcomed by the ICT channel will be the commitment to ensure that no part of the country is left without next-generation broadband.
If it turns into legislation, which is not a given with the majority-less Conservative administration, one key element of the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property Bill) will be a cheaper and faster light-touch tribunal process for telecoms companies to obtain access rights to properties for a period of up to 18 months. This means they will be able to install broadband connections where the property owner has failed to respond to repeated requests for access.
The initiative has certainly been welcomed by James Warner (pictured), Managing Director at broadband provider Glide.
“The development of legislation to accelerate the implementation of fast and reliable broadband networks will play a huge part in getting our connectivity deployment up to the same level as our European counterparts,”
“It is no secret that the UK is lagging behind when it comes to being a fully-connected nation, so it is reassuring that there are plans in place to make a full-fibre Britain a reality.
“As a leading broadband provider, we could not be more enthusiastic to hear about the Government's aims and we are very much looking forward to the opportunity to sit down with ministers to discuss the steps we have taken to support British businesses so far, and support with plans to ensure every home and business has access to full-fibre broadband.”
In the two years to 2021 the Government has already pledged £650 million to stimulate the market to deploy gigabit capable connections in urban and rural areas through:
• The Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund
• The Local Full Fibre Networks Programme, which funds locally-led full fibre projects.
• The Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme, which will deploy gigabit capable broadband to local hubs in rural areas, starting with primary schools
• The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.
In a note of caution Warner added: “It will certainly be interesting to see how the Government plans to implement this within the timeframe, as we know that historically the installation of full-fibre has been a slow and expensive deployment.
"The DCMS Gigabit voucher has made a real difference in ensuring British businesses have the support to access super-fast broadband - to date the scheme has allowed us to help over 1,100 businesses across the UK.”