Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Digital Phone Network: Vulnerable Customers

Wednesday 10 January 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister convened telecom providers on December 14 to discuss protecting vulnerable households during phone line upgrades.
  • Telecom providers signed a charter committing to measures to protect vulnerable households, including better backup solutions.
  • The Secretary of State defended the timing of the charter, stating it was a business decision due to issues with existing copper lines.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 James Wild Con North West Norfolk
Science & Technology
Context

Concern about the impact of transitioning phone lines to a digital network on vulnerable customers in North West Norfolk.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that vulnerable customers are supported when their phone lines are transitioned to the digital network?

Answer from Michelle Donelan

On 14 December, I convened the UK's leading telecom providers to discuss the next steps to protect vulnerable households when providers upgrade phone lines. As a result, telecom providers have now signed a charter, committing to concrete measures to protect vulnerable households.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 James Wild Con North West Norfolk
Science & Technology Energy
Context

Concern about loss of service in a power cut for vulnerable people in North West Norfolk who rely on personal alarms.

Question

A concern about the new digital network for vulnerable people in North West Norfolk who rely on personal alarms in emergencies is loss of service in a power cut. Will my right hon. Friend ensure that those welcome new protections deliver robust back-up plans in such circumstances, and that they are clearly communicated to customers?

Answer from Michelle Donelan

I absolutely agree that the power resilience of our digital infrastructure is key to keeping people connected. As part of signing up to the voluntary charter, the main communication providers have promised to work towards providing more powerful back-up solutions that go beyond Ofcom's minimum requirements.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q3 Tonia Antoniazzi Lab Gower
Transport Environment
Context

Rural connectivity remains a significant problem, and the charter for digital network transition was introduced late, causing issues.

Question

Rural connectivity remains a huge problem in my constituency. As the Secretary of State said, the charter has been introduced. However, it was introduced over a year into the process, when things had already gone wrong. What is she going to do to rectify that?

Answer from Michelle Donelan

I would like to correct the hon. Member. The decision on the public switched telephone network was made by business, because of the problems with the existing copper lines and the fact that that, too, poses significant challenges. What we have done is take proactive steps by convening industry to ensure that they are going further than their existing commitments, and we have involved the regulator at every step.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked about rectifying issues caused by late introduction of protections, but the answer corrected a factual point without directly addressing the request for action to correct delays and issues.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email