Broadband
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) remote and (b) other hard-to-reach properties are provided access to reliable fibre broadband.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan
Project Gigabit is the Government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. Our goal is for nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032, ensuring at least 99% of UK premises can access a gigabit-capable connection.
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.
However, our expectation is that some remote premises will remain too expensive to build a gigabit connection to. We continue to consider what can be done to further enable alternatives to fibre connections.
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