Key Facts

• The amendment aims to ensure operators can apply for an order only if they intend to provide gigabit-capable broadband.
• Some 99% of adults under 45, and 81% of the adult population as a whole, use the internet regularly.
• Full-fibre coverage in Japan is 98%, South Korea is 97%, while the UK is at 8%.
• Conservative Governments have brought full-fibre broadband to only 8% of households over a decade.
• The UK ranks 35th out of 37 in OECD rankings for broadband connectivity.
• There is a 30% gap in internet usage between the south-east and north-west regions of the UK.
• The Prime Minister has changed positions three times in six months regarding broadband targets.
• The Government's ambition is for full-fibre connectivity but dropped the 2025 target reference in the Queen’s Speech, promising instead to accelerate rollout.
• Openreach reports that 76% of multi-dwelling units miss out on initial efforts to deploy fibre due to challenges in gaining access from landlords.
• There is currently no set deadline imposed on private commercial organisations for responding to tenant requests.
• Individual operators, such as Openreach, are regulated differently.
• Ofcom will consider whether response times to complaints might be regulated in the future.
• Amendment 7 aims to include rental tenants and legal occupants in requesting electronic telecommunications services.
• Amendment 4 is designed to enable operators to request access to properties for telecom infrastructure.
• Home ownership rates among young people are a third lower than in the noughties.
• There are now 4.5 million households in the private rented sector, marking a 63% increase in a decade.
• The Bill includes provisions for addressing broadband access in almost half a million MDUs.
• Operators acknowledged potential issues with tenant requests adding to administrative costs.
• Industry bodies recommended amending the Bill to allow operators to make requests even without tenant consent.
• Amendment 8 aims to limit the use of high-risk vendors in telecommunications networks.
• The National Cyber Security Centre defines certain vendors as high risk.
• The amendment sets a threshold for operator's network usage by high-risk vendors at 35%.
• High-risk vendors will be excluded from all safety-related and safety-critical networks in critical national infrastructure.
• They will be limited to up to 35% presence in other parts of the network with tight restrictions.
• NCSC guidance on high-risk vendors is already available but needs statutory footing.
• The amendment seeks definitions already present in the Bill.
• Paragraph 27B(1)(d) defines a request notice as per paragraph 20 of the electronic communications code.
• New paragraph 27B(4) outlines landlord responses, including 'agrees or refuses' and 'otherwise acknowledges.'
• The amendment aims to ensure tenants are not locked into services provided by a single operator.
• Full-fibre broadband has reached only 11% (or 8%, according to Davies) of UK households in the past decade.
• France and the Netherlands have higher proportions of apartment blocks with better access for competition through infrastructure sharing requirements.
• The statement concerns the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill.
• Members are asked whether the current clause should stand part of the Bill.
• Amendment 2 proposed by Geraint Davies.
• Government amendments 3 and 1 discussed.
• New clause requires a report on resources for First-tier Tribunal within six months after Royal Assent.
• The Bill aims to make it faster and cheaper for digital infrastructure providers to install services in leasehold properties.
• Three amendments have been tabled by the government in response to suggestions from judiciary members.
• Without these amendments, applications would commence in the upper tribunal, which lacks sufficient capacity to handle up to 2,650 cases per year in England and Wales.
• The cost of an application by an operator will be determined by the court, but it is anticipated to be under £500.
• The legislation reduces tribunal process fees from several tens of thousands of pounds to a £500 fee.
• The amendments made ensure that proceedings under new Part 4A of the Code must be commenced in specific tribunals or courts depending on the region.
• The broadband speed of the Committee's proceedings is noted.
• The Berkeley Group Holding plc, Glawood Limited, BT Group, Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA) UK, Ben Hamilton, and Rosemary Herbert from Howard Kennedy LLP are mentioned as stakeholders or contributors.