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Broadband

Asked by Sarah CoombesLabourDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled Answered 22 January 2025UIN 23950

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress his Department has made on the roll-out of gigabit broadband (a) nationally and (b) in West Bromwich constituency.

Answered by Chris Bryant

Earlier this month, we announced the signature of four Project Gigabit contracts with Openreach to roll out gigabit-capable broadband to over 130,000 premises in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

This announcement marks another significant step towards achieving our goal of nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030. More than £2 billion of contracts have now been signed to bring fast, reliable broadband to over a million more premises.

According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, almost 93% of premises in the West Bromwich constituency can already access a gigabit-capable broadband connection. We anticipate that the majority of the premises in West Bromwich will receive a gigabit-capable connection through the commercial market. Any remaining premises will be considered for support through Project Gigabit.

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