Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The government's broadband coverage has increased to 71%, up from 6% in January 2019. However, there are areas like north Dorset and Teesdale where constituents face challenges.
What steps her Department is taking to expand broadband coverage to rural areas. National gigabit coverage has rocketed to 71%, but some constituents remain unserved.
We are investing £5 billion in Project Gigabit so that hard-to-reach areas can get ultra-reliable gigabit speeds. We have already upgraded over 740,000 premises and launched procurements with a value of over £700 million to deliver gigabit connections across the UK.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
Residents in Throwley and Wichling submitted bids for gigabit vouchers but were unsuccessful despite gathering community support. These residents struggle to use broadband effectively.
My constituents in Throwley and Wichling were incredibly disappointed to find that their bids for gigabit vouchers were unsuccessful, especially after they worked so hard to gather community support. While most people are able to use their broadband to do video calls, work from home, and stream movies and matches, those constituents cannot.
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this case and for all the work that she and her team did to help those villages. I asked officials to look into this case, and they told me that the broadband supplier responsible for the projects in those villages did not put them forward for consideration as a voucher priority area on the basis that they were not expected to deliver a gigabit-capable connection faster than our own Project Gigabit procurement in Kent. In good news, I can assure my hon. Friend that we are making very good progress on that procurement and we hope to be able to launch it in the coming weeks.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer did not provide a specific timeline or commitment for fast broadband access soon but acknowledged ongoing work and expected progress.
Response accuracy