Response to LGA’s call for FTTP Kitemark for new builds

In response to The Local Government Association’s (LGA) call for housebuilders to adopt an FTTP kitemark for new builds,

Mark Collins, Director Strategy & Policy at CityFibre, commented:

“Access to high-quality internet access is of enormous importance to UK residents, with around one in three admitting that it has become as important to them as electricity, gas and water, and a quarter going as far as saying that they couldn’t function without it.

“We also know that having access to next generation internet access delivered over full fibre infrastructure can add significant value to property – a figure that’s been calculated to be worth at least £7bn nationally over the next 15 years.

“Full fibre is the only infrastructure capable of delivering the reliable gigabit speed services and future-proofed capacity the UK needs. We fully support the LGA’s call for the launch of an FTTP kitemark, which will give full fibre – the gold standard in internet connectivity – the status and recognition it deserves.

“Consumers have been misled for decades by advertising practices which allow copper-based broadband products to be advertised as ‘fibre’. The introduction of a kitemark, however, will help consumers know what they are paying for and what standard they should expect.

“By improving awareness and increasing demand for that gold standard, consumers, Government, local authorities and industry can collaboratively drive the roll-out of full fibre across the UK, helping it to catch up with the rest of the world.

“Ultimately, this isn’t just about residential broadband speeds, this is about driving real and meaningful economic growth in all parts of the country for the long term. The FTTH Council in the USA, has calculated that providing full fibre to just half of all premises in any given location could result in a 1.1% rise in annual GDP. This figure applied to our own research based on 100 UK town and city economies, suggests an economic impact in excess of £120bn. This is a figure that cannot be ignored.

“CityFibre, in partnership with Vodafone, is committed to delivering full fibre infrastructure to at least 1 million homes and businesses and our roll-out is underway. However, given the size of the prize for the UK, all players – and this includes local authorities, government, regulators, network builders and industry as a whole – need to ensure that combined, we deliver the maximum possible coverage in the shortest possible time. Only then will we unlock and unleash the full economic potential of full fibre, and that of the communities in which it is built.”