Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how her Department defines (a) rural and (b) urban in the context of the roll-out of superfast broadband.
Answered by Matt Hancock
BDUK's State aid clearance from the European Commission has been given on the basis that deployment will be predominantly in rural and remote areas. These areas are not defined by the Commission, although BDUK has provided information to the Commission on how interventions will be targeted using population densities
The Superfast Broadband Programme aims to maximise coverage within the framework set by the State aid regime. BDUK therefore undertakes an assessment of each project to ensure that it is consistent with the State aid requirements. Projects have not been taken forward in London or Birmingham, and the eligible areas for other projects which include cities within their scope have been assessed on the basis that coverage is targeted at rural and urban fringe areas. BDUK therefore does not measure rural and urban deployment.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of providing alternative leased line providers with passive infrastructure access and the effect of this on consumers.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
I have not made any assessment of the impact on consumers of providing passive remedies for alternative leased line providers. Ofcom is responsible for telecommunications market regulation. It carries out a rolling programme of market reviews of competition in communications markets to ensure that regulation remains appropriate and proportionate in the light of changing market conditions. Following a market review, Ofcom can impose regulatory remedies to address competition concerns which vary according to the market and services being provided. Ofcom is currently conducting a review of competition in the supply of leased line services in the UK (the Business Connectivity Market Review, or BCMR). As part of that review a preliminary consultation was published last month on the role that passive remedies might play in addressing competition concerns in the market for leased line services.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to direct Ofcom to conduct a pre-auction review of mobile sector competition before the sale of the 1400MHz and 700 MHz spectrum bands.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom, in performing its statutory duties in relation to award of rights to use spectrum, conducts impact assessments of each award. This includes assessing how an award would further the interests of consumers in relevant markets, where appropriate by promoting competition. It is for Ofcom in the first instance to consider whether a pre-auction review of competition is necessary or justified. Ofcom, properly, consults on how they propose to design spectrum awards and on their impact assessments. |
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on the cost of mobile backhaul and leased lines in rural areas.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom, the independent regulator, is currently undertaking a review of the market for leased lines, which are used for mobile backhaul and for other applications. Ofcom published a call for inputs on 1 April 2014, as well as two interim consultations. The Regulator intends to publish full proposals for consultation in Spring 2015 and this will include an analysis of issues in relation to mobile backhaul.
The current regulatory controls on BT’s charges for leased lines, including those used for mobile backhaul, expire in April 2016.
BT has made no representations to DCMS about mobile backhaul. However, in the company’s response to the DCMS consultation on its Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy, BT made it clear that it was opposed to the mandating of ‘dark fibre’ access to its network. Access to dark fibre would enable other providers to compete with BT more easily in the provision of various communications services, including mobile backhaul, although BT’s response did not highlight this use.
I have had no discussions with Ofcom on the cost of mobile backhaul and leased lines in rural areas. The information collected by Ofcom, referred to above, will inform any such discussion in the future.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
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 support the roll-out of mobile communications infrastructure in rural areas.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Government has invested £150m to build infrastructure to provide coverage to some of the UK premises where there is currently no basic mobile coverage for voice calls or text messages. BDUK has successfully brokered agreements between the key Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to share the costs of using new infrastructure. Last year the Government also introduced planning changes for mobile infrastructure to facilitate network deployment, further supporting extending rural mobile coverage.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of spectrum caps in the 2012 4G auction.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The spectrum caps in the 2012 4G auction ensured that no mobile spectrum licensee secured spectrum holdings that would give them a decisive competitive advantage over the other operators. In its report on the auction, the NAO concluded that Ofcom achieved its objective to maintain a competitive market. [p.6, 4G radio spectrum auction: lessons learned, 6 March 2014]
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the levels of competition in the mobile backhaul market.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom, the independent regulator, is currently undertaking a review of the market for leased lines, which are used for mobile backhaul and for other applications. Ofcom published a call for inputs on 1 April 2014, as well as two interim consultations. The Regulator intends to publish full proposals for consultation in Spring 2015 and this will include an analysis of issues in relation to mobile backhaul.
The current regulatory controls on BT’s charges for leased lines, including those used for mobile backhaul, expire in April 2016.
BT has made no representations to DCMS about mobile backhaul. However, in the company’s response to the DCMS consultation on its Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy, BT made it clear that it was opposed to the mandating of ‘dark fibre’ access to its network. Access to dark fibre would enable other providers to compete with BT more easily in the provision of various communications services, including mobile backhaul, although BT’s response did not highlight this use.
I have had no discussions with Ofcom on the cost of mobile backhaul and leased lines in rural areas. The information collected by Ofcom, referred to above, will inform any such discussion in the future.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations his Department has received from BT on mobile backhaul.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom, the independent regulator, is currently undertaking a review of the market for leased lines, which are used for mobile backhaul and for other applications. Ofcom published a call for inputs on 1 April 2014, as well as two interim consultations. The Regulator intends to publish full proposals for consultation in Spring 2015 and this will include an analysis of issues in relation to mobile backhaul.
The current regulatory controls on BT’s charges for leased lines, including those used for mobile backhaul, expire in April 2016.
BT has made no representations to DCMS about mobile backhaul. However, in the company’s response to the DCMS consultation on its Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy, BT made it clear that it was opposed to the mandating of ‘dark fibre’ access to its network. Access to dark fibre would enable other providers to compete with BT more easily in the provision of various communications services, including mobile backhaul, although BT’s response did not highlight this use.
I have had no discussions with Ofcom on the cost of mobile backhaul and leased lines in rural areas. The information collected by Ofcom, referred to above, will inform any such discussion in the future.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the proposals of the Law Commission on reform of the Electronic Communications Code published on 27 February 2013.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Since the publication of the Law Commission’s report on the Electronic Communications Code, DCMS has been considering the implications of the recommendations on network roll out and service provision to consumers. In January 2014, we published an economic analysis of the impacts of various wayleave valuation regimes. A copy of this report has been placed in the House of Commons library.
I will make public my plans to reform the Electronic Communications Code shortly.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to bring forward proposals to amend the Electronic Communications Code in line with the recommendations of the Law Commission published on 27 February 2013.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Since the publication of the Law Commission’s report on the Electronic Communications Code, DCMS has been considering the implications of the recommendations on network roll out and service provision to consumers. In January 2014, we published an economic analysis of the impacts of various wayleave valuation regimes. A copy of this report has been placed in the House of Commons library.
I will make public my plans to reform the Electronic Communications Code shortly.