The NIMBYs are fed up, and it's an election year
Minister Julia Lopez at the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology has written to operators including Virgin Media O2, Openreach, and KCOM, asking them to do"everything possible" to share existing telegraph poles before deciding to install new ones.
"A number of MPs have brought to my attention the frustrations of communities they represent over the duplication of overhead fiber networks," it states."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 fibre deployment."
The DSIT letter goes on to say that the government is"committed to ensuring there is a competitive broadband market so that everyone can receive the connectivity they need at an affordable price," and that it has pledged to ensure gigabit-capable connections are available to 85 percent of UK premises by 2025 and 99 percent of premises by 2030.