UK’s Data and Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez has urged telecommunication companies in the UK to stop the installation of new telegraph poles. The minister wrote a public letter to the operators asking them to prioritize sharing existing telegraph poles ahead of building new ones.
"They have advised that their constituents feel they have no control over how infrastructure is deployed in their local area, and this can negatively affect the overall perception of full fiber deployment," said Lopez.
In the letter, Lopez said that the government wants to implement a refreshed set of guidelines that makes sure that "communities feel engaged in the deployment of new broadband infrastructure, whilst still allowing operators to continue deploying their networks."
He added, “Most telecoms companies are doing a fantastic job in delivering that connectivity with the support of those communities, by sharing existing infrastructure and taking into account surroundings when putting up new poles. But we know that there are some firms that are losing that vital community support by inappropriately or unnecessarily throwing up new infrastructure. I have today written to operators asking them to do whatever it takes to share existing infrastructure."
