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Broadband: Housing Estates

Asked by Mark PritchardConservativeDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and SportTabled Answered 8 September 2026UIN 19916

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support residents of new-build estates a choice of broadband providers in circumstances where the developer has restricted access to the estate's properties to just one broadband provider.

Answered by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

The Government is committed to promoting competition in the broadband market, which supports investment, innovation and consumer choice, and our Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) highlights the importance of this. As of January 2026, Ofcom reports that 77% of residential premises have access to more than one network.

New-build regulations require developers in England to install a gigabit-capable connection, up to a cost of £2,000 per premises.

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