Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) competitiveness of the division of usable mobile spectrum between telephone operators in the UK.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Secretary of State noted the assessment that was published as part of Ofcom's recent consultation on rules for the 2.3 & 3.4 GHz spectrum auction.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the reliability and affordability of mobile coverage in Morley and Outwood.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Improving mobile connectivity across the UK is a priority for the Government. The legally binding licence obligations arising from the December 2014 agreement require each Mobile Network Operator to provide voice/SMS text coverage to at least 90% of the UK’s landmass by end-2017. This locked in investment of £5 billion and is delivering improved coverage across the UK. Ofcom's 2016 Connected Nations Report shows that 99% of UK premises now have indoor voice coverage and 96% have indoor 4G data coverage. Our recent reforms to mobile planning laws and proposed reforms of the Electronic Communications Code, will support further investment and improvements in connectivity across the UK and reduce not spots.
A competitive market in the UK has also benefitted consumers with the UK having one of the lowest prices in Europe for mobile connectivity.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, what steps her Department has taken to protect regional publishers who do not wish to join an approved regulator.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Government launched a consultation on 1 November to look at two issues, one of which is the commencement of section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013. As the consultation document sets out, the consultation is an opportunity for all interested individuals and organisations to set out their views and to provide more detailed evidence around the potential impacts of the various options for the section 40 incentive. The consultation document covers points specific to local publishers, see for example paragraphs 39 and 44.
More information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-leveson-inquiry-and-its-implementation
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, what steps her Department has taken to protect the independence of regional press organisations.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Government launched a consultation on 1 November to look at two issues, one of which is the commencement of section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013. As the consultation document sets out, the consultation is an opportunity for all interested individuals and organisations to set out their views and to provide more detailed evidence around the potential impacts of the various options for the section 40 incentive. The consultation document covers points specific to local publishers, see for example paragraphs 39 and 44.
More information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-leveson-inquiry-and-its-implementation