King’s Speech Reveals Plans for New UK Cyber Security and Planning Reform Laws
The State Opening of Parliament – often referred to as the “King’s Speech” – took place today, which saw the new UK Government set out their agenda for the coming session. The speech included mentions of several bills that could potentially support the expansion of gigabit broadband and 5G mobile networks, as well as toughen cyber security and Digital Verification Services.
Just to recap. The Labour Party’s 2024 General Election Manifesto (here) has previously made clear that they would be making a “renewed push to fulfil the ambition of full gigabit and national 5G coverage by 2030.” The party has already given mild support to Project Gigabit and appears to be aware that any big changes would risk adding further delays to the roll-out, but solid details of their actual plan have been few and far between.
The first hints of at least one significant change came after they set out their desire for more flexibility in the planning system (here), which might make it easier to deploy new digital infrastructure – those who oppose new telecoms poles and mobile masts will be watching very closely. On top of that, there has also been some prior talk about trying to encourage greater infrastructure sharing or co-operative build between network operators, albeit supported by precious little substance.
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Suffice to say that the King’s Speech typically provides the opportunity for a new government to flesh out their forthcoming plans with a little more detail, and we were watching closely to see if any of the c.35 draft laws might be of relevance. Sadly, there were no specific mentions of either “broadband” or “mobile” in the briefing documents, but three of the bills do have the potential to touch digital infrastructure and internet connectivity.
However, we were a little bit surprised to see the new Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, particularly as it will be coming so soon after the passing of similar telecoms and internet security laws under the previous government – the industry is still in the early stages of adapting to those. We’ve summarised the three bills of relevance below.
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
“My Ministers will get Britain building, including through planning reform, as they seek to accelerate the delivery of high quality infrastructure and housing”
● The current planning regime acts as a major brake on economic growth. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will play a key role in addressing this constraint, unlocking more housing and infrastructure across the country and supporting sustained economic growth. The planning system must be an enabler of growth – enabling democratic engagement with how, not if, homes and infrastructure are built.
● Reforming the planning system is key to unlocking our country’s economic growth – enabling us to deliver both the housing and critical infrastructure that communities need. The Bill will speed up and streamline the planning process to build more homes of all tenures and accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects in alignment with our industrial, energy, and transport strategies.
What does the Bill do?
● The Bill will make improvements to the planning system at a local level, modernising planning committees and increasing local planning authorities’ capacity to deliver an improved service.
● The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will accelerate housebuilding and infrastructure delivery by:
o streamlining the delivery process for critical infrastructure including accelerating upgrades to the national grid and boosting renewable energy, which will benefit local communities, unlock delivery of our 2030 clean power mission and net zero obligations, and secure domestic energy security. We will simplify the consenting process for major infrastructure projects and enable relevant, new and improved National Policy Statements to come forward, establishing a review process that provides the opportunity for them to be updated every five years, giving increased certainty to developers and communities.
o further reforming compulsory purchase compensation rules to ensure that compensation paid to landowners is fair but not excessive where important social and physical infrastructure and affordable housing are being delivered. The reforms will help unlock more sites for development, enabling more effective land assembly, and in doing so speeding up housebuilding and delivering more affordable housing, supporting the public interest.
o improving local planning decision making by modernising planning committees.
o increasing local planning authorities’ capacity, to improve performance and decision making, providing a more predictable service to developers and investors.
o using development to fund nature recovery where currently both are stalled, unlocking a win-win outcome for the economy and for nature, because we know we can do better than the status quo. Our commitment to the environment is unwavering, which is why the Government will work with nature delivery organisations, stakeholders and the sector over the summer to determine the best way forward. We will only act in legislation where we can confirm to Parliament that the steps we are taking will deliver positive environmental outcomes. Where we can demonstrate this, the Bill will deliver any necessary changes.
Territorial extent and application
● The majority of the Bill is expected to extend and apply to England and Wales. Some measures may also extend and apply to Scotland
Digital Information and Smart Data Bill
● The Government wants to ensure we harness the power of data for economic growth, to support a modern digital government, and to improve people’s lives.
● The Bill will enable new innovative uses of data to be safely developed and deployed and will improve people’s lives by making public services work better by reforming data sharing and standards; help scientists and researchers make more life enhancing discoveries by improving our data laws; and ensure your data is well protected by giving the regulator (the ICO) new, stronger powers and a more modern structure. These measures start delivering on the Government’s commitment to better serve the British public through science and technology.
What does the Bill do?
● The Bill will harness the power of data for economic growth. We are giving a statutory footing to three innovative uses of data that people can choose to participate in and which will accelerate innovation, investment and productivity across the UK. This includes:
o establishing Digital Verification Services, which make people’s everyday lives easier through innovative and secure technology. These measures support the creation and adoption of secure and trusted digital identity products and services from certified providers to help with things like moving house, pre-employment checks, and buying age restricted goods and services.
o developing a National Underground Asset Register, a new digital map that is revolutionising the way we install, maintain, operate and repair the pipes and cables buried beneath our feet. It gives planners and excavators standardised, secure, instant access to the data they need, when they need it, to carry out their work effectively and safely.
o setting up Smart Data schemes, which are the secure sharing of a customer’s data upon their request, with authorised third-party providers.
● The Bill will improve people’s lives and life chances. The Bill will enable more and better digital public services. By making changes to the Digital Economy Act we will help the Government share data about businesses that use public services. We will move to an electronic system for the registration of births and deaths. And we will apply information standards to IT suppliers in the health and social care system.
● The Bill will help our scientists make better use of data for world-class research by reflecting the realities of modern interdisciplinary science research in our data laws. Scientists will be able to ask for broad consent for areas of scientific research, and allow legitimate researchers doing scientific research in commercial settings to make equal use of our data regime.
● The Bill will ensure your data is well protected. We are modernising and strengthening the ICO. It will be transformed into a more modern regulatory structure, with a CEO, board and chair. And it will have new, stronger powers. This will be accompanied by targeted reforms to some data laws that will maintain high standards of protection but where there is currently a lack of clarity impeding the safe development and deployment of some new technologies. We will also promote standards for digital identities around privacy, security and inclusion.
● The Bill also establishes a Data Preservation Process that coroners (and procurators fiscal in Scotland) can initiate when they decide it is necessary and appropriate to support their investigations into a child’s death. This will help coroners get access to online information they need when investigating a child’s death.
Territorial extent and application
● The Bill will extend and apply UK-wide.
Cyber Security and Resilience Bill
● Our digital economy is increasingly being attacked by cyber criminals and state actors, affecting essential public services and infrastructure. In the last 18 months, our hospitals, universities, local authorities, democratic institutions and government departments have been targeted in cyber attacks.
● Our essential services are vulnerable to hostile actors and recent cyber attacks affecting the NHS and Ministry of Defence show the impacts can be severe. We need to take swift action to address vulnerabilities and protect our digital economy to deliver growth. The Bill will strengthen the UK’s cyber defences, ensure that critical infrastructure and the digital services that companies rely on are secure.
What does the Bill do?
● The Bill will strengthen our defences and ensure that more essential digital services than ever before are protected, for example by expanding the remit of the existing regulation, putting regulators on a stronger footing, and increasing reporting requirements to build a better picture in government of cyber threats.
● The existing UK regulations reflect law inherited from the EU and are the UK’s only cross-sector cyber security legislation. They have now been superseded in the EU and require urgent update in the UK to ensure that our infrastructure and economy is not comparably more vulnerable.
● The Bill will make crucial updates to the legacy regulatory framework by:
o expanding the remit of the regulation to protect more digital services and supply chains. These are an increasingly attractive threat vector for attackers. This Bill will fill an immediate gap in our defences and prevent similar attacks experienced by critical public services in the UK, such as the recent ransomware attack impacting London hospitals.
o putting regulators on a strong footing to ensure essential cyber safety measures are being implemented. This would include potential cost recovery mechanisms to provide resources to regulators and providing powers to proactively investigate potential vulnerabilities.
o mandating increased incident reporting to give government better data on cyber attacks, including where a company has been held to ransom – this will improve our understanding of the threats and alert us to potential attacks by expanding the type and nature of incidents that regulated entities must report.
Territorial extent and application
● The Bill will extend and apply UK-wide.
UPDATE 12:23pm
We’ve had the first comment come in from alternative network operator All Points Fibre.
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Jarlath Finnegan, Group CEO of All Points Fibre Networks, said:
“The new government’s commitment to boosting productivity and growth is welcome, and connectivity should be at the heart of that plan. There are changes the government could make in planning and tenants’ rights that would make it easier to build and install broadband to millions more people. We hope they’ll seize the opportunity to use fibre in accelerating the digital economy to fulfil the country’s potential.”
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Digital Verification Services, which make people’s everyday lives easier through innovative and secure technology –
Whatever secure means, LOL!
How many times have councils and the NHS been hacked in the past few years? Centralizing even more data will turn sitting ducks into golden ducks. China must be salivating
While not as destructive for broadband as Corbyns 2019 manifesto, this is still another gear further on the agenda of forced poverty
Digital ID being forced in, because authoritarianism is great, for your own good
Stalinistic housing goals will ensure more low quality copy pasta housing rather than addressing the insane demand despite birth rate being very low
You just seem like you’re whinging but haven’t actually given a viable alternative
How about no digital ID? Perfectly viable until now
100% agree.
£500k toy town homes on postage stamps plots are the worst kind of money traps.
Developers are only interested building in affluent areas where prices will be nearer £800k. Social housing is needed desperately but that does the opposite of stimulating growth.
Simple solutions do not solve complex problems.
Yeah let’s all go back to the 17th century, no digital IDs, no central heating , horse & cart transport etc. what’s not to like!
All the serious intent is about housing, I think the reference to infastrure is with regard to the unpopular Pylon scheme, power plants, wind farms & railways not really about mobile.
The last seven 5G masts local to me have all been refused, two of them were next to A roads & nowhere near homes, one was an upgrade, madness that an upgrade can be rejected! Who does that benefit?
All Points Fibre can go do one. This is the company that just excluded us from getting a full fibre connection. No current laws prevented them from installing – they just cancelled plans due to cost reasons.
vs …. them going out of business because its not economically viable?
They don’t owe you anything. Plans change. Another provider will pick the area up if its economically viable or it receives funding to make it viable.
Private business making business decision. Did they inform why you were so expensive to reach? No Openreach duct? Homes spread out so lots of digging to reach each one?
@Matt – there won’t be another (alt-net) provider as the whole extended area (every street, every house) is covered by Giganet. They just excluded part of our postcode (25 houses, one street). No other provider is going to touch us.
Openreach has announced plans for the city so there is some hope that we may get something in the next couple of years.
@XGS – no ducts allegedly (but there are plenty of chambers with “CATV” covers). Openreach copper is just buried in the ground according to them even though there are no poles here – I find that hard to believe. All very odd. And apparently the pavement is “too full” with other utilities meaning they will have to do a more complicated (and hence more expensive) dig with planning to get the fibre here.
Yes, I’m aware of how private businesses work. But a company like this installing a generational/transformative technology (which apparently is life changing and supercharges growth and all that good stuff) has zero qualms walking away at the first sign of trouble. And then they whine about planning laws while waffling on about stuff like this:
“We hope they’ll seize the opportunity to use fibre in accelerating the digital economy to fulfil the country’s potential.”
Except you, who we chose to ignore. We didn’t mean you when we made that grand statement.
Build it, be the first and you will get customers. Make money back in the long run. There are plenty of young families on our street; lots of kids, houses being used as student accommodation, parents who work remotely and so on. They would have got at least 30% take up.
I doubt they even did a proper survey. They turned up, spent 5 minutes and left. They spent weeks and weeks doing very complicated installs for some of the other streets in our area (with houses built earlier than homes in our street).
Okay so it’s direct in ground Openreach plant, they can’t use the CATV ducts and can’t dig in the pavement due to congestion leaving the only way to go to dig in the road and branch from there to each home.
If there were poles they’d use them, if there were ducts they’d use them as they have elsewhere. There’s not a lot a survey will tell them unless they dig up bits of pavement to see how congested it actually is which may be expensive if the pavement is too narrow and they will have to do traffic management.
Either way going down the road if the homes aren’t terraces that’s really, really expensive. If they are terraces it’s merely expensive.
@XGS: True to a point. The “congested” bit is literally about 10 metres. The rest is just normal pavement. Not terraced houses but they are quite close to each other. Houses are “link detached” with garages stuck to each other.
All the databases that have been handed over to foreigners who scam us every day, that has never bothered any of the political parties. This is why we are having such data leaks.