Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Gigabit Broadband

Thursday 18 March 2021 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government's Project Gigabit will outline rollout priorities and address hardest-to-reach areas.
  • The 5 billion commitment for full fibre roll-out will be spent as quickly as industry can lay cable.
  • The Government will respond fully to the DCMS Select Committee's questions, likely appearing before it again.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Karl McCartney Con
Science & Technology
Context

The MP noted the importance of gigabit-capable broadband, especially given increased reliance due to recent events. He highlighted disparities in superfast connectivity between urban and rural areas within his constituency.

Question

What steps is his Department taking to roll out gigabit broadband? I thank the Minister for that response and look forward to a Government announcement soon. We need full roll-out of gigabit broadband. City of Lincoln Council has 99.4% superfast connectivity, but North Kesteven District Council only has 95.3%, with 2.74% receiving less than 10 megabits per second. How will the roll-out benefit all those in rural areas?

Answer from Matt Warman

The Government's Project Gigabit will explain where we will take best connections first and how we tackle hardest-to-reach premises. It promotes competition for the best market offering, including Openreach.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific timelines and details on ensuring rural areas are included in roll-out were not provided.

How: Promoting Competition

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Q2 Karl McCartney Con
Energy
Context

The MP emphasised the critical importance of broadband for various aspects of society. She questioned if £1.2 billion out of £5 billion committed by 2025 was planned to be spent, expressing concern over pricing controls that could benefit BT at the expense of rural areas.

Question

Can the Minister confirm that only £1.2 billion of £5 billion set aside for full fibre roll-out is planned to be spent by 2025? Will Ofcom's decision remove pricing controls leading to higher costs in broadband-poor rural areas? When will we get the infrastructure needed?

Answer from Matt Warman

The £5 billion commitment will be spent as quickly as industry can lay cable. The balance between competition and fair return is struck by Ofcom to ensure all businesses involved get a reasonable profit.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific timeline for spending £1.2 billion was not confirmed, nor were cost implications in rural areas addressed directly.

How: Striking Balance Between Competition And Fair Return

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Q3 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Science & Technology
Context

The MP questioned the Government's response to key broadband roll-out targets from the DCMS Select Committee. He also sought a commitment for full answers by April 1st and clarity on Project Gigabit funding.

Question

With Ofcom's broadband review published, does the Minister agree it is time to fully respond to the DCMS Select Committee report's recommendations? Will he commit to giving the Committee its full answers by April 1st? Is the £5 billion for Project Gigabit a repackaged announcement or guaranteed from Treasury?

Answer from Matt Warman

The Ofcom report balances competition with fair return. The Government will respond in full to the Committee's questions, likely appearing again before it.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific details on funding and direct response commitment were not provided.

How: Balancing Competition With Fair Return

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