Political Monitor 07/02/2020

7 February 2020

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Broadband

Governments response to the consultation on Street Manager and updates to permit schemes. Following a consultation on Street manager and street works permit scheme changes, the Department for Transport (DfT) has responded to the results of the 10 questions asked and has decided to proceed on several points, including requiring utility companies to contribute to the cost of Street Manager and the reduction of restrictions on Section 58 road restrictions from 5 to 3 years. The new regulations will come into force on 31st March.

The main outcomes of the consultation are:

Parliamentary Questions on Broadband Rollout

Shadow Digital Minister, Chi Onwurah MP, asked the Minister for Broadband, Matt Warman MP what assessment was being made to ensure that telecoms providers have adequate access to buildings, there is infrastructural competition and that broadband is competitively priced in new build apartment blocks. The Minister highlighted the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill which will amend the process for operators gaining access to buildings when met with  unresponsive landlords. Warman also recapped the Government’s plans to amend Building Regulations to ensure all new build homes are required to have the infrastructure to support gigabit-capable connections. He reasoned that these measures will drive competition, encourage investment and support leaseholders to receive the connectivity they need.

Onwurah also questioned the Minister on the accuracy of Openreach’s estimations for full fibre roll-out and also on what assessment had been made of the requirements for BT to commit the Openreach funding necessary for full-fibre deployment. Warman responded that the Government has not made a full assessment of Openreach’s estimations but is implementing several legislative and non-legislative reforms to encourage the deployment of broadband.

The Minister also responded to a question from Yasim Qureshi MP (Lab) on the rollout of gigabit broadband specifically in Bolton. Mr Warman made clear that the timescale was a matter for the commercial sector, but also drew attention to the Government’s £5 billion pledge to subsidise deployment in the hardest to reach areas.

Online Safety

Children’s Commissioner’s letter to Facebook’s Head of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg

Anne Longfield OBE, the Children’s Commissioner for England, wrote to Sir Nick Clegg, Facebook’s Head of Global Affairs, regarding children’s access to dangerous content on Facebook and other social media platforms. Longfield emphasised that Facebook should fulfil its social responsibilities and prioritise the removal of all harmful content from its platform without fearing a clash with the spirit of free speech. She also expressed that Facebook’s plans to encrypt Facebook Messenger and Instagram messages pose a real threat to children because it leaves both the company and the police with an inability of knowing or intervening in harmful situations.

Later in the letter, Longfield criticised Facebook’s responsive attitude to removing harmful material arguing that taking down material ‘when it is reported to us’ is too late since users have already seen the content. Additionally, she highlighted that Facebook’s inadequate service and slow response times meant that children were left vulnerable to bullying and its detrimental impact on their mental health. Longfield proposed that Facebook should rethink its approach to attracting new users by adding features such as age verifications which would remove children’s access to harmful content altogether.
The full letter can be accessed here.

Parliamentary Questions on Internet Safety

Responding to questions on Internet safety from Tracy Brabin MP (Lab) and Barbara Keeley MP (Lab) Mr Warman referred to the Online Harms White Paper and the steps it was taking to make the UK the safest place to be online. He also highlighted that the independent regulator would have the power to require transparency reports from companies outlining how they are helping to protect people online.

Cyber Security

NCSC survey on diversity in the cyber security industry

A survey has been launched to help improve the diversity of talent working in the cyber security sector. It will be conducted annually by the NCSC and KPMG UK and will highlight areas in need of improvement. The data will also be used to measure performance and inform a series of joint initiatives by the NCSC and industry partners to help create a more inclusive environment.

Parliamentary Questions on the security risk of Huawei

Damien Green MP (Con) and David Davis MP (Con) questioned the Prime Minister over the involvement of Huawei in the UK’s 5G network. Mr Johnson responded that the UK would be reducing Huawei’s involvement below the 35% market cap and was doubling the science budget to ensure high-risk vendors cannot dominate the market.

Responding to Lord Taylor of Warwick’s question on the same topic, DCMS Secretary,  Baroness Morgan of Cotes, wrote that there was advise laid out by the NCSC on the steps telecom operators can take in relation to high risk vendors. Additionally, she highlighted that the Government’s Telecoms Supply Chain Review would require telecoms operators to design and manage their networks to a higher security standard.

Parliamentary Question on cybercrime prevention

Oliver Dowden MP, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, answered a question from Jeremy Hunt MP (Con) as to how much additional funding has been allocated to protect the UK from cyber-attacks. The Minister wrote that the National Cyber Security Strategy has a £1.9billion investment package and is delivering transformational change to protect the UK from cyber-attacks.

Ofcom

Parents’ rising concern over children online

According to Ofcom’s latest annual study of children’s media and online lives ‘more parents than ever feel children’s online use now carries more risks than benefits’. This finding comes out as children are now more likely to see hateful content online. A review by Ofcom found that there has been a rise to 51% of 12-15-year olds seeing harmful content when online up from 34%in 2016. Findings also revealed that there had been a rise in the number of 10-year olds owning a smartphone to 50% from 30% in 2015. More children were also found to be interacting with smart speakers and smart TVs. One study found that WhatsApp had grown in popularity with almost two thirds of older children using the app despite having a minimum age of 16.

Digital sector worth more than £400 million a day to UK economy

News statistics show that the UK digital sector grew by 7.9% between 2017 and 2018 contributing £149 billion to the UK economy. Digital Minister Matt Warman said that ‘technology is a sweet spot of our economy’ and ‘the success is thanks to our business-friendly environment and fantastic workforce’.

ISPA Events

Parliament and Internet Conference – 27th February 2020

Now in its 14th year, the all-day Conference will once again bring together over 200 senior representatives from Government, parliament, academia, and industry to discuss the most pressing policy issues facing the Internet.

The event is hosted by Vicky Ford MP on Thursday 27th February at Portcullis House in London from 9am-5pm.

The conference includes various keynote speeches and three panel sessions:

To find out more about the event, please visit http://parliamentandinternet.org.uk/
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