Preparations are being made to take the case against MS3 to Parliament.
UPDATE: NEWS OF A SUSPENSION of pole installation activities by MS3 in Hedon and Hessle was published by ITV Calendar last night. Apparently, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) has suspended operations to install telegraph poles on residential streets following a wave of protests:
Council suspends MS3 telegraph pole installation in Hedon and Hessle
News Release – East Riding of Yorkshire Council:
“We have temporarily suspended MS3 from carrying out works in the East Riding.
“MS3 has failed to meet the required safety standards of its street works under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. The council issued a stop work notice to MS3 to enable a thorough investigation.
“Today we met with representatives from MS3, and their contractor to discuss the issues. The meeting was productive and MS3 had agreed to take several corrective actions. Once reviewed, we will take the decision on whether to allow MS3 to resume works.
“The council is committed to ensuring the health and safety of the public and ensuring contractors work to national standards in all areas of the authority.”
A spokesman for East Riding of Yorkshire Council
News Release – Guy Miller, CEO of MS3 Networks:
“MS3 was made aware this week of a video on social media showing one if its contractors operating after dark without following all our own strict health and safety guidelines for these circumstances.
“We have subsequently agreed with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to pause poling works in East Riding whilst a full health and safety reviews takes place. We met with Council officials this morning (2nd November), who were supportive of our plans.Guy Miller
“This does not impact other areas of our build or when using underground delivery or utilising third-party infrastructure. We are fully committed to ensuring we, and our contractors, exceed minimum criteria for our build standards whilst continuing to provide much needed broadband competition in our area where we are seeing hundreds of new customers signing up to save money every week.”
This suspension could be another significant milestone in the campaign to stop the MS3 Networks pole-planting plans, perhaps the most significant milestone since their lorries were first stopped on the Shields Road estate by popular civil disobedience.
This is all happening while preparations are being made to take the case against MS3 to Parliament.
Anti-MS3 telegraph pole campaigners will be taking their case to Parliament on Wednesday. A special meeting will be hosted in Westminster on November 8 by Graham Stuart MP who will listen to what campaigners have to say with an assurance that the case will be presented to Sir John Whittingdale who is Minister of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Minister of State for Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Sir John, ultimately the responsible Minister for what has been happening in Hedon and Hessle, has been invited to the meeting along with a representative of OFCOM the industry’s regulator.
“These companies, like MS3, describe themselves as ‘Network Builders’. It is a category of company that appears to have been operating below the radar and exploiting their unique status as apparently unregulated and unaccountable entities to force through the planting of telegraph poles in communities. This is not about bringing broadband to areas that don’t have it, rather it seems to be a profitable enterprise that brings distress and disruption into communities, particularly in places like Hedon which have clearly said NO to telegraph poles. This is an opportunity for campaigners to present the evidence and seek an urgent change in regulation and legislation limiting the activities of such companies.”
Going Underground Campaign Group Statement
Surely this sets a president for the whole of Kingston Upon Hull. We do not want anymore poles erected.
stop MS3 poles in hull as soon the sign that reads WELCON TO KINSTONE HULL
WILL HAVE TO CHANGT TO WELCOM TO THE CITY OF TELEGRAPH POLES AND OVER HEAD WIRE.