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Broadband: West Dorset

Asked by Edward MorelloLiberal DemocratDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled Answered 14 October 2024UIN 7323

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help improve broadband connection in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) other rural areas.

Answered by Chris Bryant

According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, over 96% of premises in the West Dorset constituency have access to superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and 53% can access a gigabit-capable (>1000 Mbps) connection.

To improve this further,Wessex Internet is delivering a £33.5 million contract under Project Gigabit, to bring gigabit-capable broadband to over 21,000 more premises across Dorset and South Somerset, including in West Dorset.

Overall, 36 Project Gigabit contracts, with a total value of over £1.9 billion, have been signed to date, to bring gigabit-capable broadband to over 1 million rural homes and businesses.

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