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 potential impact of Physical Infrastructure Access fees on the rollout of high speed broadband in rural areas.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.

For this reason, while we are engaging with Ofcom on this issue, the Department has not made any formal assessment of the impact of PIA fees on the roll-out of high-speed broadband in rural areas.