New homes in England will be built with gigabit broadband connections, providing faster broadband to nine million people living in flats across the UK. 

This is thanks to the new amendments to the Building Regulations 2010 law, ensuring new homes in England are constructed with infrastructure capable of delivering gigabit broadband. 

Residents can arrange the best possible internet service right after they move in with readily available gigabit broadband connectivity, avoiding the need for costly and disruptive installation work after the home or flat is built. 

In a further boost to people’s access to better broadband, another new law has made it easier to install faster internet connections in blocks of flats when landlords repeatedly ignore requests for access from broadband firms. 

The Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act (TILPA), now in force in England and Wales, makes it easier for broadband providers to gain access to install equipment in blocks of flats, when a faster connection is requested by a tenant. 

“Nothing should stop people from seizing the benefits of better broadband, whether it is an unresponsive landlord or a property developer’s failure to act,” Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said. 

“Thanks to our new laws, millions of renters will no longer be prevented from getting a broadband upgrade due to the silence of their landlord, and those moving into newly built homes can be confident they’ll have access to the fastest speeds available from the day they move in.”

It is estimated that an extra 2,100 residential buildings a year will be connected as a result.

Though government policy has attempted to drive internet connectivity across the UK, approximately 12% of UK homes still do not have access to a full fibre connection upon construction in a typical year. 

Now, home developers will be legally required to future-proof new homes in England for next-generation gigabit broadband as standard practice during construction.

Connection costs will be capped at £2,000 per home for developers and they will work together with network operators to connect developments to the gigabit network. 

If developers cannot install the connection within the cost cap, then the next fastest connection available must be installed. 

With over 98% of homes falling within the cap, new builds without gigabit internet will soon become a thing of the past for most people in England and Wales, with Scotland soon to follow with a similar policy in the summer. 

Even if a gigabit-capable connection is not available within the cost cap, the infrastructure will still need to be installed to ensure homes are enabled to join the network in the future. 

New Laws for Upgrading Blocks of Flats

In the UK’s estimated 480,000 blocks of flats and apartments, tenants would usually have to wait for their landlord’s permission to have new broadband installed. These access rights are essential for broadband operators to install upgraded infrastructure. 

Broadband companies have said that around 40% of their requests for access to install connections receive no response from landlords, which means tenants lose out on the benefits of a faster connection. 

Now, providers in England and Wales will be able to seek rights to access a property or shared land if the person required to grant access is unresponsive. 

To do this, the law has created a new route through the courts to allow operators access to blocks of flats and apartments for installation. 

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Tenants will now no longer be prevented from getting new broadband installed due to a silent landlord – the new rule kicks in just 35 days after the first request for access. 

This law came into effect in England and Wales at the end of last year, and will be introduced to Scotland in the summer.  

Better Access, But Who can Afford It?

While the new regulations are at step toward a more connected Britain, the UK is in the midst of a cost of living crisis that is continually forcing people to choose between heating, food, and internet services. 

The government legislation so far does not include price caps on gigabit broadband services in new builds or assistance to struggling households to afford their internet connection. 

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