Proposal to pilot new broadband infrastructure sharing arrangements in East Yorkshire from May

KCOM 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.

A Connexin spokesperson 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 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.

“We’ve always been ready to work with other operators to provide access to our ducts and poles to reduce their need for new infrastructure. There is a sensible way forward on this that benefits the communities that we serve, and we want to collaborate with Connexin and MS3 to put it into practice. The right thing to do, now, is to get the ball rolling, as soon as we can, and we hope to receive a positive response from Connexin and MS3 in the coming weeks.”

MS3 chief executive Mr Miller said: “We welcome KCOM’s next steps. We will be an active participant in the trial.”

Connexin’s spokesperson said it looked forward to meeting KCOM to discuss the proposals further. The spokesperson said: “Our focus is on moving this forward to achieve a fair and reasonable agreement on infrastructure sharing as quickly and positively as possible.”

Beverley and Holderness’s Mr Stuart, Hull North’s Dame Diana and Hull West and Hessle’s Ms Hardy met with Ms Lopez on Monday. They called for an end to permitted development rights where infrastructure already exists and for the the current voluntary industry Code of Conduct to be made mandatory.

Ms Lopez told MPs she would look into a request to limit the number of poles that can be put up following a request from Labour’s Ms Hardy. Mr Stuart said the failure for companies to work together was incredibly frustrating.

The MP said: “People are fed up to the back teeth with poles being erected in front of their houses, with very little notice and hardly any possibility of recourse. It’s a complete mess, we deserve better than this.

“I’m very grateful, as ever, to the first-class campaigners who have done so much to keep this important issue at the top of the agenda. I know the Minister has heard our concerns and, alongside Dame Diana Johnson MP and Emma Hardy MP, I’ll be holding her feet to the fire to get a resolution to this, quickly.”