UK Minister Chris Bryant wrote a letter on the 16th of August to national telecom players, inviting them to a round table on the 12th of September to discuss telegraph pole deployment. Bryant is the Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
In his letter, he said, “As you will know, this Government wants to drive economic growth across the UK, and we see delivering fast and reliable broadband as crucial to this mission. We want to give communities across all four nations opportunities to work, learn and play in ways that wouldn’t previously be possible without it. However, I am acutely aware of public concerns surrounding the deployment of telegraph poles. Many people are calling for the Government to remove permitted development rights for poles. I do not, at this stage, believe that this is the right move.”
Minister Bryant assured that the Department is actively supporting the fast-paced rollout of digital infrastructure across the UK to meet the Government’s objectives. He reiterated that the government is looking to address concerns around unnecessary pole deployment.Â
He said, “I am grateful for the industry coming together to reform the Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice, and the work you have already undertaken to drive this work forward.”
“My officials would be happy to facilitate connections, in order for the Working Group to reach planning or highway authorities in order to consult them on changes to the Code of Practice. While the contents of this revised Code of Practice are for your Working Group to design; it is my hope that a revised Code of Practice can set out examples of considerations that should be taken into account before new poles are deployed; and that it can be brought into effect this autumn to ensure that community voices can be taken into account. A revised Code of Practice is vital to ensuring continued smooth broadband rollout.”