Part 2: Telecommunications Infrastructure Section 73: Rights of network providers in relation to infrastructure
This Section inserts a new section 148A into the 2003 Act.
	Subsection (1) of the new section 148A confers power on the Secretary of State to make regulations concerning the rights of network providers in respect of relevant infrastructure required for the purpose of facilitating the development of public electronic communications networks.
	Subsection (2) of the new section 148A, read with subsections (3) and (4), provides that such regulations may make provision, among other things:
	requiring a person to grant the network provider access to relevant infrastructure if specific conditions are met;
requiring a person to provide the network provider with information concerning the relevant infrastructure for specific purposes, provided specific conditions are met;
in relation to the carrying out of works of a specified description on such infrastructure;
about requests by network operators for rights conferred by the regulations, including the procedure for making a request, the form in which the request is to be made, the grounds on which a request can be refused, a duty on a minister to give an opinion if such a request is refused and provision as to what effect such an opinion will have, including whether it can be binding on specific persons in specific circumstances (see subsection (3));
about how information provided pursuant to the regulations is to be treated;
about disputes arising under the regulations, including the procedure for dealing with those disputes, the appointment of a person to determine such disputes and the powers which they will have, the time limits for determining such a dispute and how appeals of such decisions will be dealt with (see subsection (4)); and
requiring a specified person to give guidance on the regulations and how such guidance should be published, whether particular persons should be consulted before guidance is given and how often the guidance and the regulations should be reviewed.
	Subsection (5) of the new section 148A makes provision in respect of Crown interests in land, while subsection (6) provides that, in particular, any regulations made under subsection (1) may amend, vary or revoke any provision made by the Communications (Access to Infrastructure) Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/700).
	Subsection (7) of the new section 148A provides that, before making regulations under subsection (1), the Secretary of State must consult Ofcom and such other persons the Secretary of State considers appropriate.
	Subsection (8) of the new section 148A provides that regulations made under subsection (1) are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.
	Subsection (9) of the new section 148A provides definitions of various key terms used in this new section.