VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Broadband: Rural Areas

Asked by Stuart AndersonConservativeDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled Answered 27 October 2025UIN 78537

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken to implement gigabit rollout in rural areas on those areas.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan

More than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband. These premises fall predominantly in rural areas. As of the end of March 2025, over 1.2 million premises had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes.

The connections delivered by Project Gigabit benefit rural and hard to reach communities, helping households and businesses access the digital connectivity needed to transform lives and drive economic growth.

We are committed to ensuring 99% of premises receive gigabit coverage by 2032.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim