Written evidence submitted by BT Openreach (RUT0313)

I’m writing in response to The Times article of 30th March and your subsequent tweet to highlight it, following my appearance before your committee the previous day. I wanted to assure you that the article failed to convey the correct interpretation of my comments before your committee and  is not reflective of Openreach policy.

The article claimed that I told your committee that ‘there was no guarantee the final 5 per cent of the population would ever get anything better than a basic connection.’ I believe my response to a question from Paul Monaghan has been taken out of context and is the basis of this inaccurate reporting. Dr Monaghan asked me, ‘What are you doing to guarantee the provision of broadband and functioning and reliable speeds to the 5 per cent of premises not covered by the government’s 2017 superfast broadband target?’. I began my answer by saying, ‘I have no guarantee for the final 5 per cent today’. I went on to explain that the reason for this is that we do not have clarity yet on how the government wish to proceed with their proposed universal broadband commitment.

As I explained, BT and Openreach have offered to deliver a minimum 10mbps universal service without the need for public subsidy, to meet the government’s policy ambition. This is dependent on regulatory approval and appropriate cost recovery.  Dr Monaghan did not define what he meant by ‘functioning and reliable speeds’.  But I can confirm that, under our proposals to deliver the government’s policy, the majority of homes now receiving under 10mbps would receive a service well in excess of that speed.

Openreach is determined to find a solution for all homes and premises. We want to provide faster speeds and solve the issue of the last 5%. As was discussed during the session, existing plans will already eat into this last 5%. That is why we will continue to deliver on our BDUK contracts, work with local authorities to deliver further coverage using the gainshare and efficiency savings that flow from the success of the initial phases of the BDUK programme, work with communities through the community fibre partnership initiative, and continue to develop innovative technology solutions to extend coverage and speeds. 

I was grateful for the opportunity to give evidence as part of the panel on Wednesday. Please do let me know if you would like to discuss this particular issue or if there is anything further I can help with as your enquiry concludes.

April 2017