PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(1 June 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the rollout of full fibre broadband infrastructure does not result in prolonged loss of service for households; and whether she has had discussions with network providers, including Openreach, on minimising disruption and providing timely support to affected consumers.

Asked by:
Connor Naismith (Labour)

Government works in partnership with communications providers to ensure that networks remain secure, resilient, and accessible, including during emergencies and service disruption. There are statutory obligations on communications providers to take appropriate and proportionate steps to ensure their networks and services remain available. Communication providers are required to take appropriate measures to prepare for and reduce the reduce the risks of incidents occurring, and Ofcom have published Network and Service Resilience Guidance that sets out expectations on how providers can meet statutory obligations. Communication providers are also required to report significant incidents to Ofcom, who have powers to investigate, rectify and penalise communications providers for any infringement of their duties.

Whilst networks are designed to be resilient, events such as severe weather, power cuts, and technical faults can sometimes cause disruption. In these cases, providers must guarantee access to emergency services for at least one hour during a power outage for customers who rely solely on landlines and communicate clearly with customers about any risks or changes to their service, especially during the move to full fibre from analogue lines. Full fibre tends to be more resilient than other forms of technology.

Under Ofcom’s General Conditions of Entitlement Communication Providers are expected to keep customers up to date on disruption to services and when to expect normal service to resume.

Answered by:
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