New telegraph poles for rural broadband networks

The UK government is set to allow new networks of telegraph poles so rural areas can get access to improved broadband services. A new consultation proposes “relaxing” restrictions on erecting new telegraph poles in rural areas so that they can be used for superfast broadband networks. The Campaign to Protect Rural England argued that “The place for cables - electrical, phone or fiber-optic - is underground not marking across the landscape.” Spokesman Jack Neill-Hall warned against a “rash of new wires”, but a spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said that “while we want all communities to benefit from better broadband access, this must be balanced with the Secretary of State’s duty to conserve the natural beauty and amenity of the countryside.”