Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the £600 million announced in Budget 2015 to support the delivery of the change of use of 700Mhz spectrum includes provision to assist and compensate users of existing equipment in the programme making and special events sector.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Up to £600m will be made available to support the change of use of 700 MHz spectrum. This money is intended to cover all the costs of the programme. If any provision were to be made for users of existing equipment in the programme making and special events sector, it would be from within this budget.Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the time taken by BT Openreach to provide for the connection of new housing developments to telephone services.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The lead times for connecting new housing developments will vary according to their location, the services being provided and the engineering difficulties that the company faces. I am aware that there have been delays in connecting some new developments and that Openreach has been recruiting additional staff to help address this problem. The Government recently published its Utilities Guide setting out performance standards for new utility connections. The guide includes for the first time performance standards for telecoms and broadband connections to new builds. This will allow the performance of communications infrastructure providers to be monitored. We will also be exploring with housebuilders and communications infrastructure providers the scope for making further improvements to connection lead times.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to safeguard the use of radio microphones and related equipment under the Government's spectrum allocation policy.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom is currently conducting a strategic review of the PMSE sector’s future spectrum requirements. One of the objectives of this review is to ensure audio PMSE devices have access to sufficient spectrum to continue delivering the benefits they provide following Ofcom’s decision to make the 700 MHz band available for mobile data. Ofcom is aiming to conlcude this review in 2015.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 1.117 of the Autumn Statement 2014, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Programme Making and Special Event sector on the consequences for their work and the wavelengths they use of the further clearance of spectrum for mobile use.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
As set out in the National Infrastructure Plan and Autumn Statement, further details of the change of use of 700MHz spectrum will be set out in 2015. As part of that process, Ofcom are currently carrying out work to find suitable alternative spectrum for PMSE. We would encourage the PMSE community to engage in that process.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2014 to Question 206821, how many meetings (a) his Department and (b) Ofcom have had with HM Treasury on compensation for the Programme Making and Special Events sector if the 700 MHz band was cleared of such users; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
DCMS is currently working closely with HMT and Ofcom to examine all aspects of clearing the 700MHz band, including in relation to PMSE. Once a decision on the future of the 700MHz band has been made and timelines for any programme have been finalised, it will be possible to consider any compensation scheme for PMSE.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2014 to Question 206823, what assessment his Department has made of the future possibility of mobile network operators demanding access to more spectrum; what steps his Department is taking to test the validity of such future demands; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom published a statement in May on its strategy to deal with the growing demand for mobile data services.
In that document Ofcom highlighted that there are a wide range of long term forecasts both in terms of traffic levels and set out the subsequent implications for future spectrum requirements. Ofcom will continue to review the growth in mobile data demand, and consequently how much spectrum (in addition to public sector spectrum in the 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz bands and the proposed release of the 700 MHz band) it might be beneficial to make available for mobile data services in the future. However, this type of analysis is inherently subject to a high degree of uncertainty, and therefore Ofcom is working to ensure there are sufficient spectrum options for the future to deal with this demand if and when it emerges.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2014 to Question 206821, what assessment his Department has made of the risk of PMSE market failure if PMSE users are not allocated alternative spectrum in which to operate before the 799 MHz band is cleared; what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom regarding mitigating that risk; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
In its consultation on the future of the 700MHz band, Ofcom highlights the important benefits that PMSE delivers to the UK. Ofcom sets out a clear objective, in case of a change of use of those frequencies away from existing services including PMSE, to continue to secure those important benefits. Its plan to achieve this includes improving the way current use takes place as well as securing access to alternative frequencies and Ofcom is working closely with stakeholders through its regular engagement with the British Entertainment Industry Radio Group.
I welcome Ofcom’s recognition of the significant value that PMSE delivers and we fully support their work on mitigating the effect of loss of access to the 700MHz band. This is an integral part of any change to the 700 MHz band and the DCMS will continue to monitor Ofcom’s work in this.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the efficiency with which mobile companies make use of the radio spectrum to which they currently have access; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The 4G auction in 2013 has increased the amount of spectrum available to the mobile network operators (MNOs) for delivering next generation mobile services. The 4G rollout is underway and will ensure the UK continues to have some of the best mobile services in Europe.
The Department has not made any direct assessment of mobile network operators’ (MNOs) spectrum requirements or the technical characteristics of their network deployments. Ofcom published their Mobile Data Strategy consultation on 21 November 2013, which examines consumer demand for mobile data services and how this could be met, including MNOs’ spectrum requirements. The consultation document and responses can be found on Ofcom’s website:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/mobile-data-strategy/
Ofcom has since published a further statement on their Mobile Data Strategy:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/mobile-data-strategy/statement/
The Department does not directly monitor the operations of the MNOs or the technical characteristics of their network deployments. Ofcom does however undertake certain monitoring functions including monitoring of coverage, service quality and ensuring MNOs comply with any obligations included in their spectrum licences.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of international harmonisation of the 700 MHz band of radio spectrum on domestic small and medium-sized enterprises operating within (a) the programme making and special events sector and (b) the creative industries; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom published a consultation on the future use of the 700 MHz band on 28 May 2014. This consultation assesses the impact any loss of access to the 700 MHz band would have on the PMSE community. Ofcom will ensure the views and spectrum requirements of the PMSE community are taken into account when making any final decisions on the use of the band. The consultation document and responses can be found on Ofcom’s website:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/700MHz/
Ofcom is working with the PMSE community of users and manufacturers to mitigate the impact of any change of use of the 700 MHz band; and discussing with the regulatory authorities in other countries their approach to this issue. A key focus of their work in this area is seeking to identify and make available alternative spectrum for the PMSE community.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will request Ofcom to undertake an independent analysis of (a) the need of mobile network operators to be granted access to additional radio spectrum and (b) the quantity of spectrum currently allocated to mobile network operators of which they are not making use to provide mobile connectivity for consumers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The 4G auction in 2013 has increased the amount of spectrum available to the mobile network operators (MNOs) for delivering next generation mobile services. The 4G rollout is underway and will ensure the UK continues to have some of the best mobile services in Europe.
The Department has not made any direct assessment of mobile network operators’ (MNOs) spectrum requirements or the technical characteristics of their network deployments. Ofcom published their Mobile Data Strategy consultation on 21 November 2013, which examines consumer demand for mobile data services and how this could be met, including MNOs’ spectrum requirements. The consultation document and responses can be found on Ofcom’s website:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/mobile-data-strategy/
Ofcom has since published a further statement on their Mobile Data Strategy:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/mobile-data-strategy/statement/
The Department does not directly monitor the operations of the MNOs or the technical characteristics of their network deployments. Ofcom does however undertake certain monitoring functions including monitoring of coverage, service quality and ensuring MNOs comply with any obligations included in their spectrum licences.