Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Broadband

Thursday 13 February 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial investment in broadband infrastructure aims to level up digital capabilities across the country.
  • The value of superfast and gigabit broadband to businesses is considered enormous for powering the UK economy.
  • The 2025 target for full fibre broadband roll-out has been adjusted to "as soon as possible," focusing on new builds and legislative support.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Gagan Mohindra Con Bolton West
Economy Science & Technology
Context

The Department is addressing the expansion of high-speed internet infrastructure across the UK.

Question

Does my hon. Friend agree that no business should be held back because of poor broadband infrastructure? Can he confirm that this one nation Conservative Government are making record investment in levelling up digital infrastructure?

Answer from Matt Warman, Minister

I can. The value of superfast and gigabit broadband to businesses is enormous, and it will allow the businesses of the future to power this country's economy. It is the fact that those benefits can be shared so widely that makes the £5 billion Government investment so valuable.

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Q2 Jeff Smith Lab Lancaster University
Science & Technology
Context

The Prime Minister originally promised full fibre broadband by 2025, but later softened the commitment.

Question

You promised full fibre broadband roll-out by 2025, but that was soon downgraded to “as soon as possible”. What proportion of houses will actually have full fibre broadband by 2025?

Answer from Matt Warman (Minister for Digital Infrastructure)

The hon. Member is right: we have said we will make gigabit-capable networks available as soon as possible. The Prime Minister has talked very clearly about that 2025 target and we will legislate to make sure that all new builds have gigabit-capable broadband, and of course we will focus our greatest attention on the hardest-to-reach areas where broadband is currently the worst in the country.

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