Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of the recommendations for spectrum licensing made in the report, High Performance Wireless Broadband: An Opportunity for Rural and Enterprise 5G, published by the Independent Networks Cooperative Association in June 2018.

We are clear that spectrum should be used efficiently and effectively, given its importance to the economy. In the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, the Government stated its view that the development of a set of innovative 5G services and new investment models may require more flexible approaches to spectrum licensing. We have read the report with interest. Ofcom, as the national regulatory authority, is responsible for managing spectrum and ensuring that radio spectrum is used in the most effective way.