Speed & coverage details of NGA contracts awarded under BDUK framework

The request was partially successful.

Dear Department for Culture, Media and Sport,

Please tell me

1. Whether the minister, DCMS, or its agent BDUK, has sought legal advice concerning the publication of so-called "speed and coverage" details in contracts with BT to supply next generation broadband to local authorities, which information is currently kept confidential under non-disclosure agreements?

2. What was that advice?

3. What DCMS now plans to do about publishing said details?

Yours faithfully,

Ian Grant

3 Attachments

Dear Mr Grant,

 

Thank you for your information request of 4 ^ June. You asked:

 

1. Whether the minister, DCMS, or its agent BDUK, has sought legal advice
concerning the publication of so-called "speed and coverage" details in
contracts with BT to supply next generation broadband to local
authorities, which information is currently kept confidential under
non-disclosure agreements?

 

2. What was that advice?

 

3. What DCMS now plans to do about publishing said details?

 

We have dealt with your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please find responses to each of your questions set out below.

 

1. Yes, legal advice has been sought.

 

2. The advice is legally privileged.  However, DCMS can confirm that the
supplier-populated sections of each Speed and Coverage Template (SCT) are
subject to the confidentiality provisions under the terms of the relevant
Call Off Contract between the local body and supplier.

 

3. DCMS does not hold the maintained versions of each SCT and so is not
able to publish the speed and coverage details.  Each maintained SCT is
held by the relevant local body under its Call Off Contract with the
supplier.

 

The supplier-populated sections of each SCT indicate the supplier’s
roll-out plans which are commercially confidential.  The populated SCT is
effectively an initial planning document, which is subject to alteration.
Sometimes significant changes are made to it during delivery and its use
by another commercial organisation or the general public could carry
significant risk.  As the supplier progresses its roll-out we would expect
the deployment data in the SCT to become less commercially sensitive and
local bodies will publish details of the roll out.  Therefore anyone
interested in obtaining access to the data in the SCT is encouraged to
contact the relevant local body to discuss their need to access the data
and the potential circumstances (including timing) under which data could
be disclosed as the roll-out progresses.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Freedom of Information Team

 

[1]cid:image001.png@01CE41D8.92FDC8D0  

 

Freedom of Information Team

4^th Floor, 100 Parliament Street, London SW1A 2BQ
[2]cid:image002.jpg@01CE41D8.92FDC8D0[3]@dcms 
[4]cid:image003.jpg@01CE41D8.92FDC8D0 [5]/dcmsgovuk |
[6]www.gov.uk/dcms

 

 

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