Building Controls Updated to Fix Stalled Fibre Broadband Rollouts for Big Buildings

The Ministry of Housing (MHCLG) and UK ISP Association (ISPA) have today unveiled crucial changes to address the current problem with the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) approval processes in England, which are known to have caused big delays and increased costs for broadband and mobile operators trying to deploy full fibre networks into large buildings (MDUs etc.).

Just to recap. At the end of 2025 the cross-party House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee highlighted how delays in the BSR’s updated processes for minor works had been, among other things, causing problems for network operators and pushing up costs, often unpredictably (here). In short, putting a lot of red tape in front of even fairly routine work and thus slowing network deployments.

ISPreview knows of various related broadband deployments by network operators, such as Openreach and Hyperoptic, among others, that have been slowed or even paused pending a solution to the problem. The government previously described this as an “unintended consequence” of earlier changes in 2023.

In response to these concerns the MHCLG launched a consultation in January 2026 on ‘Improving proportionality and safety outcomes in building control‘ for telecommunications work, which specifically aimed to introduce changes to the processes for the “installation of fibre optic cabling” (fixed broadband) and “building work related to mobile masts“ (e.g. certain types of work, like drilling holes through internal fire-resisting walls for fibre optic cabling, would be given more dispensation).

The consultation said the current rules for these areas of work “may be unreasonable and disproportionate“ had taken direct regulatory resources away from the types of building work that carry higher risk (e.g. new builds and remediation projects).

Changes to the BSR’s approval processes 

The good news today is that the MHCLG have announced changes that reflect special dispensation for related areas of work when deploying new digital infrastructure into such buildings, which seems likely to help get deployments rolling again.

“I am writing to inform you of directions given by the Secretary of State under Section 11 of the Building Act 1984 which grant dispensations from certain procedural requirements of building regulations for telecommunications related building work to existing buildings. These directions address the drilling of small holes in walls to install fibre optic cabling and, for higher-risk buildings only, the installation of mobile communications masts on rooftops,” said Keeran Jugdoyal, Deputy Director Building Performance.

New Directions Under Section 11 of the Buildings Act 1984:

1. The requirements of regulation 11(1) and 40(2)(e) of The Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023 (Building control approval for work to existing HRB and Completion certificate applications – updated change control log) are dispensed with for building work that solely consists of the installation of a mobile communication mast on a rooftop of an existing higher-risk building and any ancillary connections or associated works required for that installation,

2. The requirements of regulations 11(1), and 40 of The Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023 (Building control approval for work to existing HRB and Completion certificate applications) are dispensed with for building work that solely consists of the drilling of holes 25mm or less in diameter in internal or external walls for the installation of only fibre optic cabling in existing higher-risk buildings,

3. The requirements of regulations 12 and 17 of the Building Regulations 2010 (Giving of a building notice or an application for building control approval and Completion certificates) are dispensed with for building work that solely consists of the drilling of holes 25mm or less in diameter in internal or external walls, for the installation of fibre optic cabling in an existing building that is not a higher-risk building.

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For building work relating to mobile communication masts on rooftops of existing higher-risk buildings, the dispensations only apply to masts installed on rooftops. Masts installed on external walls are not included in the dispensation.

For building work relating to the drilling of holes for the purpose of installing fibre optic cabling, the dispensation applies to holes drilled through walls (internal and external) only – the dispensation does not apply to holes drilled through floors or ceilings.

The dispensations are currently planned to come into effect on 1st September 2026. “We are proposing to limit the dispensations relating to fibre optic cabling in time, and the relevant directions will expire after 3 years. The dispensation relating to mobile masts is not time limited,” added Keeran.

Andrew Kernahan, Head of Public Affairs at UK ISPA, told ISPreview:

“We welcome today’s announcement from the Government to provide a dispensation from building control regulations for the installation of gigabit-capable broadband into high-rise buildings, following the recent government consultation.

The dispensation is a step in the right direction to allowing our members to be able to accelerate much needed infrastructure upgrades that may otherwise have been subject to considerable delay. Importantly, these works will continue to be delivered in accordance with building safety legislation, robust fire safety measures and established industry standards, while supporting the sector’s efforts to meet the Government’s target of nationwide gigabit-capable broadband by 2032.

Connectivity is vital to everyday life; it comes as no surprise that 72% of people say that it is important that internet providers continue to invest in infrastructure upgrades, and that it is vital that regulation enables, rather than delays, rollout.

We are absolutely committed to building safety and will continue working with Government, members and regulators to ensure the final dispensation provides full and clear guidance to all stakeholders so that broadband can be installed safely and efficiently.”

However, it’s important to point out that these dispensations from the rules are still subject to compliance with various conditions, such as the need to use appropriate firestopping, weatherproofing and soundproofing. The installer must also be properly trained for such work and have been granted prior written approval for the building work. All materials and products used must also conform with relevant product standards.

Finally, for building work relating to the drilling of holes for the purpose of installing fibre optic cabling, to higher-risk buildings only, any person carrying out the work must still notify the BSR as soon as is reasonably practicable after the work has been completed. Any information submitted may be reviewed by the Building Safety Regulator to monitor compliance with the dispensations and their conditions.