New UK Data Use and Access Bill to Aid Utility Maps and ISP Comparisons

The UK government has today unveiled details of their new Data Use and Access Bill (DUAB), which aims to deliver a £10bn economy boost by “unlocking the secure and effective use of data for the public interest“. The measures will also support personalised market comparisons for utility pricing and a new digital map of underground broadband cables and pipes on a “statutory footing“.

Improving the sharing of sensitive personal data tends to be one of those hit-and-miss areas for governments, which don’t necessarily have the best history of keeping our private information safe and secure. Nevertheless, the government is keen to create the right conditions to support the future of open banking and the growth of new smart data schemes, while also cutting down on bureaucracy (admin) for police officers and the NHS etc.

For example, police officers across the country may benefit from measures that will remove unnecessary manual logging requirements whenever accessing personal data to work on a case. Similarly, healthcare information – like a patient’s pre-existing conditions, appointments and tests – will become easily accessible in real-time across all NHS trusts, GP surgeries and ambulance services, no matter what IT system they are using.

Naturally our focus in all this is more on those aspects of the new DUA Bill that bleed into the UK telecoms (broadband, phone and mobile) sector, particularly where it has relevance to future network deployments and consumer services. Some of this is reflected in the aforementioned focus on “smart data schemes“, models which allow consumers and businesses to safely share information about them with regulated and authorised third parties.

For example, price comparison sites could use such schemes to generate personalised market comparisons (broadband and mobile packages) and financial advice to help cut costs. In theory, such legislation might similarly allow consumers to view all their bills in one place or introduce easier management across accounts, which could even be designed specifically for vulnerable consumers.

On the other hand, personalised pricing can be a bit of a minefield, which may end up resulting in some people paying more for the same service and thus growing a risk of “unfair” price discrimination. Ofcom’s research from a few years ago found that most people “felt personalised pricing was ‘unfair’, with a lack of transparency about how the price would be calculated and uncertainty about whether they had a good deal.”

Improved Underground Utility Maps

The bill will also move to put the Government’s new National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) – developed alongside Ordnance Survey (OS) and Atkins – on a statutory footing, which is a digital UK map of underground pipes and cables (broadband, water etc.) that is partly designed to help reduce accidental damage.

The NUAR is due to enter its public beta phase by spring 2025 (here), but once the new bill becomes law (likely after the beta phase) then it will also become a statutory requirement – mandating that owners of underground infrastructure, such as water companies or telecoms operators, register their assets on the NUAR.

“The use of the Register will mean that companies will know exactly where any underground asset is placed, reducing the risk of accidents on pipes and cables, making construction safer for workers and reducing the disruption – and hazards – caused by holes being dug up in the streets. This will generate approximately £400m a year, boost construction and tackle accidental damage currently costing the economy £2.4 billion a year,” said the government.

Davey Stobbart, Water Networks Regional Manager, Northumbrian Water, said:

“Our field crews have found the way information is presented in NUAR to be more useful than anything they have seen or used before. It has reduced the time taken for crews to understand what lies below the ground where they are about to dig.

In the field, we frequently find the precise point of excavation needs to be made not-quite where our office-based planners predicted and previously in this case the job would have been delayed whilst a new plan pack was prepared. Now with NUAR, our crews are simply able to pan and zoom to that point instantly, seeing everything they would have seen on all those individual plans without the back-office cottage industry and without these delays. In fact, they will be seeing more because we’re now able to easily access information from local authorities through NUAR too, such as street lighting, highways gulleys and tree preservation orders all in one place.

We have found NUAR to be a great additional tool in the toolbox to help us reduce the likelihood of high potential utility strikes.”

However, the UK Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has previously warned the government against putting the NUAR on a statutory footing before it’s truly “fit for purpose, proportionate and can fully deliver on expectations“, although it’s likely to take a couple of years for the new bill to be passed and to then become enforceable.

Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle MP, said:

“Data is the DNA of modern life and quietly drives every aspect of our society and economy without us even noticing – from our NHS treatments and social interactions to our business and banking transactions.

It has the enormous potential to make our lives better, boosting our National Health Service, cutting costs when we shop, and saving us valuable time.

With laws that help us to use data securely and effectively, this Bill will help us boost the UK’s economy, free up vital time for our front-line workers, and relieve people from unnecessary admin so that they can get on with their lives.”