Across the region, which includes Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees, there are around 336,000 homes and businesses on the Openreach network, of which more than 140,000 have already been upgraded to ultrafast, ultrareliable ‘Full Fibre’ broadband – as part of Openreach's. nationwide investment.
But, within those upgraded areas our engineers have had to bypass more than 5,500 individual premises in more than 430 flats and apartments still need access or wayleave agreements to be signed by landlords and property owners. These homes - 93 per cent in small buildings like sub-divided houses - are now in danger of being completely left behind.
Right now, Openreach can use its existing wayleave agreements to enter communal areas in flats and repair its older copper network, but it can’t use the same rights to install the latest technology
A simple change to the Renters' Rights Bill – which has already been proposed [2] and is being debated in parliament – would give tenants the right to request Full Fibre broadband from any provider, in a similar way to that being proposed to enable tenants to have a pet. [3]
Clive Selley, Openreach CEO, warns: "While the majority homes and businesses in the Tees Valley are going to benefit from our massive investment in transformational broadband technology, tens of thousands of flats are at risk of missing out. It’s frustrating that we’ve built our full fibre network right to the ‘front door’ of most of these properties – but we can’t get inside.”
“It’s possible that some people will be stuck with slower connections for years whilst their neighbours enjoy ultrafast, ultra-reliable broadband – which research suggests will boost productivity and prosperity. There’s a real risk of harming the UK’s growth potential, which is why we think the Government needs to act.”
Whilst Openreach can use existing permissions to maintain older connections to homes and businesses in so called ‘Multi Dwelling Units’, it can’t use them to install the latest technology. The process is also complicated frequently by challenges in contacting landlords.
Openreach estimates the law change could unlock many of the estimated one million premises in UK flats or sub-divided houses where it has built Full Fibre to the door but hasn’t been able to gain access.
Campaign groups like Generation Rent, who advocate for the rights of private renters in the UK, have joined calls to change the law.
Dan Wilson Craw, Deputy CEO of Generation Rent, said: “It’s concerning that many thousands of private tenants could find themselves digitally excluded in this way, when you consider the crucial role good broadband connectivity plays in so many aspects of our lives – from the flexibility of being able to work from home, to being able to access to health and other online services.
“It seems absurd that tenants can request to keep a pet budgie, but not decent broadband. A simple amendment to the Renters’ Rights Bill would cost taxpayers nothing and give tenants the right to choose – the same way as millions of other people already do in the UK.”
Emma Stone, from Good Things Foundation, a charity dedicated to closing the digital divide and promoting digital inclusion, added: “Affordable, reliable home internet access is essential, not a 'nice to have'. It is essential for family life, for remote workers, and for anyone who needs to access online services and support. We need to make it easier for everyone to benefit from digital. And that includes families and adults living in rented accommodation.”
The latest research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research and Stantec, highlights the impact of the remainder of our Full Fibre rollout on the UK. The rollout has the potential to contribute up to £66 billion to the UK economy in 2029, help over 620,000 individuals back into work while also improving the pass rates in our schools and increase the number of online GP appointments. However, our inability to upgrade tenants in Multi-Dwelling Units threatens that growth potential at a time when we need it most.
[2] See page 14 of the running list of amendments to the Renter’s Rights Bill here.