New pilot scheme after public fears on city broadband
NEW arrangements to allow broadband providers to access KCOM infrastructure are set to be piloted following claims previous proposals amounted to an obstruction.
KCOM – the former Kingston Communications – has invited Connexin and MS3 to help develop the process which would be trialled in locations in Hull and the East Riding from May if the proposed partnership progresses.
A KCOM spokesperson said it came as part of efforts to listen to views on the installation of new telegraph poles and the proposals were a sensible way forward.
Connexin said its focus was on getting a fair and reasonable infrastructure sharing agreement in place while MS3 chief executive Guy Miller said they welcomed the next steps. It comes as Hull and East Riding MPs met with Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez and called for end to companies being able to install infrastructure where it already exists.
Beverley and Holderness’ Graham Stuart, who attended along with Hull’s Dame Diana Johnson and Emma Hardy, said he would hold the minister’s “feet to the fire” to get a quick resolution. The pilot announcement follows a KCOM feasibility study, aiming to pave the way for sharing infrastructure, which was dismissed as another “obstacle” by Connexin boss Furqan Alamgir.
Connexin said it was going to lodge a complaint with Ofcom as a result. MS3 boss Mr Miller said it had not been able to participate in the study while a KCOM spokesperson said it was preparing a version of it for MS3.
Both sharing proposals come as minister Ms Lopez called on companies to refrain from putting up new poles following a local backlash. The minister said companies risked losing vital community support if they continue to install new infrastructure and the Government reserves the right to take further action. But Ofcom has also said it cannot force companies to share infrastructure after declining to conduct an emergency review into the local market. The backlash has centred around companies installing new poles and underground cables under permitted development rules, allowing them to bypass the normal planning process.
Companies including Connexin and MS3 have said they engage with affected households and meet their legal obligations but the rollouts have provoked complaints and led to protest groups forming. KCOM stated it aims to see the results of its proposed new process by the summer.
The company added it hoped to find a simpler solution to infrastructure sharing that does not require complex new systems before it can be delivered. A KCOM spokesperson said: “It is important that all providers listen carefully to community views on new telegraph poles.
Beverley and Holderness’s Mr Stuart, Hull North’s Dame Diana and Hull West and Hessle’s Ms Hardy called for an end to permitted development rights where infrastructure already exists.