Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of the introduction of unbundled fibre to the cabinet and sub-loop bundling of residential broadband provision.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
I favour competition at all levels of the telecoms system, where it is effective and sustainable. Sub-loop unbundling (SLU), where a competing provider takes their fibre to BT's street cabinets and connects to BT's copper lines to consumers' premises, is a standard product controlled by Ofcom. At present there appears to be limited demand from communications providers for SLU. There may be opportunities to increase the likelihood of future competition in fibre-to-the-cabinet by designing network upgrades to make such access easier at little or no additional cost at the time of deployment, but lower entry barriers subsequently. Ofcom is keeping the matter under review.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will initiate a review of the fibre broadband wholesale pricing structure.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
On 27 January this year, Ofcom published a consultation on an update on the impact of fibre roll-out and the proposed charge control review of the wholesale broadband access (WBA) markets, following-on from its July-September 2013 consultation on the WBA market. In this context, services provided via copper, cable and fibre access networks are considered to be within the same market. The update consultation closed on 10 March.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of EU proposals to remove the right for network operators to block 18-plus content.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
We are aware that there some concerns that the European Parliament's amendments to the draft Connected Continent regulation may restrict ISPs ability to block illegal content or to filter adult content at the request of customers. The UK Government supports the aims of the Connect Continent package, but let me clear that we will not agree to any proposals that restrict the ability of parents to protect their children from inappropriate content on line. We are confident that this was not the intention of the European Parliament and we are working with EU Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament to deliver a final package that promotes an open, safe and secure internet.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies on voluntary restrictions by network providers of adult content of recent proposals from the European Parliament on a European single market for electronic communications.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
We are aware that there some concerns that the European Parliament's amendments to the draft Connected Continent regulation may restrict ISPs ability to block illegal content or to filter adult content at the request of customers. The UK Government supports the aims of the Connect Continent package, but let me clear that we will not agree to any proposals that restrict the ability of parents to protect their children from inappropriate content on line. We are confident that this was not the intention of the European Parliament and we are working with EU Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament to deliver a final package that promotes an open, safe and secure internet.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect on industry of delays in the implementation of the Government's proposals to streamline regulatory and competition appeals.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
No such assessment has been made. Ministers are currently considering the responses received to the consultation. They will then decide the scope and extent of proposals to be implemented.