According to the network access provider, the changes would address the “red tape” that is currently preventing upgrades in certain areas and properties.
In a blog post, Selley warned that “outdated planning rules”, limitations on upgrading existing infrastructure in large residential buildings (MDUs) and issues with the street works permitting system are major obstacles to their rollout strategy, which extending its FTTP to reach 25 million by December 2026, and “up to 30 million by 2030”, respectively.
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Instead, he said these challenges could result in “almost a million homes being left behind nationally”.
According to Selley, nearly a million (990,000) tenants are missing out on our Full Fibre network “thanks to this red tape, but ministers have a chance to stop that at no extra cost to the taxpayer.”
He said: “With simple reforms to grant automatic upgrade rights. Ministers can prevent this new digital divide.
“At the same time, everyone in the industry would welcome improvements to the local authority street works permitting system. Every year we apply for around 300,000 permits to carry out work on a street-by-street basis.
"But it’s no secret that the pandemic, global events and economic climate have left local authorities stretched, so it’s common to experience delays to permissions, which have a knock-on effect on broadband upgrades.
“To achieve the stretching delivery targets set by government, applications are likely to double over the next few years, placing a huge and unnecessary bureaucratic burden on everyone involved. A simple fix, at no cost to the taxpayer, would be to introduce flexible permitting – which allows builders to upgrade multiple streets at once.
He concluded: “It could even help deliver much-needed electric charging infrastructure as the country transitions from ICE to EVs.”
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