Wednesday 14 September 2016

Newspaper column 14th September 2016 - The Digital Economy Bill

This week Parliament voted on the Digital Economy Bill in Parliament. This Bill is an important part of the government’s programme laid out in the Queen’s Speech earlier this year and will implement a number of policies seeking to make our country more digitally competitive.

At the heart of the Bill is a commitment to make broadband connections a Universal Service Obligation. This will put broadband on the same footing as telephone and electricity as an essential service. Access to fast and reliable broadband connection is becoming more and more essential in today’s world whether it is staying in touch via email or social media, for business, entertainment or online shopping.

In Cornwall in particular, the rural nature of much of our county means that those living in the countryside or coastal areas often unfairly miss out on having the very best in broadband infrastructure. In fact, complaints of this nature are a big issue, and I have had many of you contact me with problems accessing and retaining a decent level of broadband. Whilst Cornwall fairs well when compared to our rural areas, our constituency in St Austell and Newquay falls into the bottom 30% of Parliamentary constituencies overall for the availability of superfast connections.

I am therefore particularly pleased then, that this Bill is being brought forward early in the Parliamentary session and although it will not take full effect for a few years yet at least we can establish the principle of the new ‘Universal Broadband Obligation’.

This obligation entitles consumers to a minimum speed, enhances switching and compensation for communication services, and provides a new Electronic Communications Code to deal with phone and internet infrastructure. It will make the roll-out of new infrastructure cheaper and subject to simplified regulations.

The telecoms standards regulator Ofcom has specifically stated that the Universal Broadband Obligation will ensure that the households living in areas with poor connection speeds are not excluded from the benefits of a digital society and thus the implementation of the legislation in this Bill will have a major tangible impact on the many people living in Mid-Cornwall who have to date been poorly served.

Improving the speed and availability was a manifesto commitment of the Conservatives in 2015, and this is another occasion where this Government is delivering on our promises. Combined with the continuing action Ofcom is taking that I hope will lead to broadband infrastructure provider Openreach becoming increasingly separate from BT, this statutory obligation for decent broadband speed for consumers is a huge step forward.

Whilst we wait for this Bill to be passed and come into full effect, I will continue to work with the Cornwall Development Company, Openreach and internet service providers locally to ensure that we get the possible deal for Mid-Cornwall, while ensuring in Parliament that more legislation like this gets voted through to help those who need it most.


As always, my team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. If there is an issue you would like my assistance on then please contact me on either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events