Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of provisions made by landline providers to support customers during power outages after the transition to digital.

The Department engages with Communications Providers on a quarterly basis to ensure there are adequate plans in place for the transition to digital. Ofcom, the UK’s telecommunications regulator, has also issued guidance on how telecoms companies can fulfill their regulatory obligations in the event of a power cut.

The guidance states that providers should have at least one solution available that enables access to emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power outage. The solution should be suitable for customers’ needs and should be offered free of charge to those who are at risk as they are dependent on their landline. In practice many providers are offering solutions which exceed them, such as longer life battery back-up units and 4G enabled handsets.

In addition, Ofcom has an ongoing monitoring programme which includes regular engagement with large communications providers on their plans for the migration to VoIP and gathering information from other parties such as consumer stakeholders. As part of this work, Ofcom has issued an open letter to all providers to remind them of their responsibilities.