Graham will press Julia Lopez MP in person on 25 March about the serious issue of telegraph poles in Hedon, Preston and Beverley. The poles are being erected in residential areas by internet challenger companies to bring broadband competition to communities presently served solely by KCOM.
The Digital Infrastructure Minister has responded to Graham’s concerns about the proliferation of unsightly telegraph poles and has arranged a roundtable meeting in Parliament to update interested MPs with the Government’s position.
This follows Graham’s numerous representations to ministers on behalf of residents since September.
Graham wrote to Minister Lopez recently to request that she write to KCOM reminding the company of its obligations to provide fair access to ducts; that she should write to remind MS3 and Connexin about their responsibilities to erect poles responsibly; to request that she look into permitted development of telegraph poles where ducts exist and to ask her to make the Code of Conduct under the Electronics Communications Code 2013 mandatory.
Graham has worked with campaigners, including hosting some in Parliament; met CEOs of KCOM, MS3 and Connexin on numerous occasions to press residents’ concerns; met Ofcom and secured commitments from MS3 and Connexin around poles being excluded in conservation areas in Beverley and Hedon.
The issue of the operations of challenger communications companies MS3 and Connexin has been high on the agenda since last summer, and Graham is doing all he can to get resolution for residents of Beverley and Holderness.
Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart said: “It’s good that the Digital Infrastructure Minister has agreed to meet MPs to tell us what steps the Government is taking to address the concerns of the hundreds of residents deeply upset about ugly and unnecessary telegraph poles in Hedon, Preston and Beverley.
“I look forward to meeting Minister Lopez to make sure she is aware of the depth of feeling my constituents have about this issue. They are angry because it is not acceptable to have a line of ugly telegraph poles blighting your street when there’s nothing you can do about it.
“They feel powerless and that there is no one to help them control where these poles are being put up. I am doing everything in my power to get the Government to listen.”
