Various Telecommunication questions: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.


Information requested

1. All safety testing information on all wireless, mobile phone, telecommunications towers, smart metres, 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G.
2. Any requests or plans by telecommunication companies as to 5G antennas and their future placement within Scotland.
3. All data on LED street lights.
4. The companies contracted for all of the above please.
5. Any plans for more cell tower placement in Scotland.

Response

I have numbered our response and yours for ease of reference.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. The reasons why we don’t have the information are explained in the Annex to this letter. Specifically, this refers to your questions 1, 2 and 5.
Question 3. Some of the information you have requested is available from Scottish Government FOI publications. See the Annex for links to these publications. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
Annex A – Response to Questions 1-5

1. Please could you provide all safety testing information on all wireless, mobile phone, telecommunications towers, smart metres, 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
The Scottish Government does not carry out safety testing of any equipment and therefore does not hold this information.
Telecommunications policy (which includes broadband, mobile communications and other technologies) is reserved to the UK Government under the Scotland Act 1998 and subsequent amendments. Regulation of telecoms is the responsibility of Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator. The deployment of mobile networks is commercially led and funded. In the UK, Public Health England (PHE) takes the lead on public health matters associated with radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, or radio waves, used in telecommunications.
The Scottish Government does not hold information on safety testing of Smart Meters or the communications for them. The Smart Meter programme/ rollout is the responsibility of the UK Government. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is leading and monitoring the Smart Meter rollout, while energy suppliers are installing the meters and Arqiva/ the Data and Communications Company (DCC) are installing/ managing the communications for them.

2. Any requests or plans by telecommunication companies as to 5G antennas and their future placement within Scotland.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
5G is being rolled out commercially – any applications for new infrastructure will be made through the planning process, which is handled by local planning authorities.

3. All data on LED street lights.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. Scottish Government does not hold this information. Local Government has responsibility for street lights.
Transport Scotland is responsible for the provision of Road Lighting on Trunk Road Network (TRN) in Scotland. A substantial number of luminaires are already converted to LEDs and the remainder will be converted to LED by the end of current financial year – i.e. by the end of March 2020.
All LED upgrades have been carried out by Transport Scotland’s maintenance and operating Contractors of the TRN in Scotland.
For further information, please see links to completed FOIs regarding Transport Scotland’s provision of Road Lighting on Trunk Road are:
FoI/19/00273 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-00273/
FoI/18/02784 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-18-02784/
FoI/18/03559 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-18-03559/
FoI/19/00033 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-00033/
FoI/19/00686 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-00686/
FoI/19/00980 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-00980/
FoI/19/01214 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-01214/
FoI/16/00244 – attached in a separate document
FoI/19/01280 - attached in a separate document
FoI/19/02987 – attached in a separate document

4. The companies contracted for all of the above please.
Smart Meters
Arqiva, as a service provider to the DCC, is delivering the communications service needed to connect Smart Meters in Scotland using long range radio technology. The DCC have been appointed by the UK Government to provide the communications infrastructure that handles Smart Meter data and is responsible for linking Smart Meters in homes and businesses with the systems of energy suppliers, network operators and authorised third parties.
Suppliers must abide by the standards set out in the Smart Metering Installation Code of Practice (SMICOP). Suppliers, the DCC and network operators have also signed up to the Smart Energy Code.

Links to further information regarding smart meters:
BEIS: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy
UKG Smart Meters: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/smart-meters-the-smart-choice
DCC: https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/
Arqiva: https://www.arqiva.com/overviews/smart-metering/smart-metering/
SMICOP: https://www.smicop.co.uk/
Smart Energy Code: https://smartenergycodecompany.co.uk/

Road Lighting on Trunk Road Network (TRN)
Here is a link to the map showing Operating Companies and the customer care contact page: https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/scottish-trunk-road-network-map/ . https://www.transport.gov.scot/transport-network/roads/maintenance/#
The operation and maintenance of trunk road lighting is managed by Transport Scotland.

5. Any plans for more cell tower placement in Scotland.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
Cell tower placement is not led by Scottish Government, it is commercially led – any applications for new infrastructure will be made through the planning process, which is handled by local planning authorities.
The Scottish Government has developed the Scottish 4G Infill programme (S4GI) which aims to push 4G coverage beyond commercial rollout by investing up to £25 million to deliver future-proofed 4G infrastructure to selected mobile ‘not-spots’. Please see the Scottish Government website for more information: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-4g-infill-programme-progress-update/. Please note that these sites remain candidates until we have secured firm commitment from a Mobile Network Operator to use them.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI_19_02078 - FOI 16 00244 response
FOI_19_02078 - FOI_18_02987 response
FOI_19_02078 - FOI_19_01280 response

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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