DCMS Select Committee call for evidence – Broadband and 5G
The new DCMS Select Committee, chaired by Julian Knight MP, today launched an inquiry into the government’s pledge to ensure every home and business in the UK has gigabit-capable broadband by 2025. It will also look at the role of 5G technology and the initiatives such as Shared Rural Network to improve mobile connectivity across the UK.
The terms of reference for the written evidence include the following questions:
- How realistic is government’s ambition of nationwide gigabit-capable broadband by 2025 and what measures (regulatory/financial/technical/other) will be needed to achieve it?
- What are the challenges to the roll-out of 5G and gigabit-capable networks? To what extent do existing legislative, regulatory and spending plans address them?
- What needs to happen to ensure the government’s ‘outside in’ approach successfully addresses the digital divide while also delivering value for money?
- What does take-up of broadband and mobile services indicate about consumer and business attitudes to digital connectivity? What lessons can be learnt from this for the roll-out of, and switchover to, gigabit-capable networks?
- What will be the impact on individuals/communities whose broadband and mobile connectivity fails to keep pace with the rest of the country over the next 10 years? What is the link with other DCMS policy concerns, such as changing patterns in the consumption of digital media?
- How effectively do the different stakeholders (UK and devolved governments, local authorities, Ofcom, industry) work together in mobile and broadband sectors? How might these relationships be improved to support gigabit-capable roll-out?
BSG will be keen to ensure the enabling measures that industry sponsors have been calling for to facilitate deployment of fibre and 5G networks are well understood by MPs on the committee and seen as integral to the success of government’s ambition.
The closing date for submitting evidence is 2nd April.
