Digital Economy Bill

I will speak to Amendment 2 and make some comments on Amendment 1. Like the noble Lord, Lord Mend...

My Lords, I have Amendments 3 and 7 in this group. I reiterate the expressions of support for thi...

My Lords, as I indicated at Second Reading, I very much support the proposal for a broadband univ...

My Lords, I support Amendment 1, and indeed the other amendments in this group, without in any wa...

My Lords, I support all three amendments on the USO. In my view, anything is better than what we ...

My Lords, one issue that has not been raised in this debate so far is the effect on small busines...

My Lords, I join those who have spoken in support of these amendments. Like some other noble Lord...

My Lords, I am glad that we are at last able to start this very important Committee. I should imm...

My Lords, I have a confession: I did not expect the Minister to concede on all these points. I ha...

Moved by

Baroness Janke

4: Clause 1, page 1, line 12, at end insert—

“(2BA) If ...

My Lords, Amendment 4 deals with the introduction of a social tariff. At Second Reading, Members ...

Very briefly, we on these Benches wish to associate ourselves with Amendment 4. It is an extremel...

My Lords, I would like to add one category of cost to that: someone who lives in a remote area so...

My Lords, I will address the House on Amendment 5, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Mendelsohn...

My Lords, let me begin by making it very clear that the Government are committed to building a co...

Could the Minister help the House with what she has just said about Ofcom’s recommendation being ...

My Lords, I will need to check this to be absolutely sure, but it will not form part of the legis...

My Lords, I do not want to prolong this but if it is to be subject to regulation, there must be p...

Yes, that is a good idea. We will absolutely make sure that we write to noble Lords on this point...

I thank the Minister for her response, which sounds extremely encouraging, and I look forward to ...

Moved by

Lord Stevenson of Balmacara

6: Clause 1, page 2, line 2, after “services” in...

My Lords, I start by drawing attention to the National Infrastructure Commission report that came...

My Lords, my Amendment 17 is along similar lines. Perhaps because of my comments at Second Readin...

My Lords, I just want to raise an issue of the future rather than the present. I hope that masts ...

My Lords, as someone who is not as well versed as some noble Lords with the technology, it always...

My Lords, I am grateful for the contributions in this interesting and important debate. Amendment...

I am grateful that the Minister has brought up the matter of smaller and more populous transmissi...

An amendment on that issue may be considered later today. That, however, will be a little taster ...

That is not at all the impression the noble Lord has given. Again, we have seen a lack of ambitio...

Moved by

Lord Fox

8: Clause 1, page 2, line 23, at end insert—

“72B Universal s...

It transpires that since I last spoke in Committee—literally since I last spoke in Committee—I mu...

My Lords, as my noble friend Lord Fox has said, I will very briefly address one element of the re...

My Lords, I express our support for the amendment so ably produced by the noble Lord, Lord Fox. I...

My Lords, Amendment 8 also relates to reviewing the delivery of broadband policy. We have spent s...

I must confess to being disappointed. The idea that because the service provider publishes some i...

Moved by

Lord Mendelsohn

12: After Clause 1, insert the following new Clause—

“...

My Lords, I shall speak also to Amendments 13, 20 and 21. These are probing amendments: three are...

My Lords, I support Amendments 12 and 13. I have no mobile coverage at all at my home in Wales an...

My Lords, these are very important amendments. There is a concern that BT has tended to invest ju...

My Lords, I too support these amendments, which are on the right lines. My only reservation is th...

My Lords, we associate ourselves with Amendment 20. I was under the impression that Ofcom was alr...

My Lords, I will address Amendment 20. The separation of Openreach from BT is fundamental to the ...

My Lords, at Second Reading I spoke against the continuation of BT and Openreach as one unit. Man...

I am grateful to all noble Lords who have contributed. Amendment 12 would introduce a new clause ...

I thank the Minister for his very full answer in relation to Amendment 12, but it was to a comple...

Moved by

Lord Stevenson of Balmacara

14: After Clause 2, insert the following new Cla...

My Lords, as we reach the end of this first part of the Bill we have a bit of a conglomeration of...

My Lords, we on these Benches have much sympathy for Amendments 15, 16, 18 and 22, although I kno...

My Lords, at the beginning of the debate on this group, the noble Lord, Lord Stevenson, said this...

My Lords, I thank all those who have spoken in this debate. I begin with Amendment 14 in the name...

My Lords, I am sorry to interrupt the Minister but I find that a somewhat extraordinary statement...

My Lords, I am sorry if the noble Lord finds it extraordinary. However, I think that he has made ...

I thank the noble Lord, Lord Foster, for joining me on Amendment 14 and I welcome the contributio...

Moved by

Lord Grantchester

23: Clause 4, page 3, line 20, at end insert—

“( ) A...

My Lords, this amendment brings the Committee to Part 2 of the Bill: digital infrastructure. This...

My Lords, I have two amendments in this group. Amendment 25 suggests leaving out paragraph 3(h) o...

My Lords, the issues relating to valuation seem to span this and the next group. In a sense, we h...

My Lords, this is an important part of the Bill. The Electronic Communications Code is the regula...

I thank the Minister for his reply. I am well aware of the areas he spoke to in terms of the obje...

It may be helpful if I say that these are fairly technical amendments, particularly those in the ...

I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.