Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Rural Broadband

Wednesday 18 March 2026 · 5 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 5 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Joe Morris requested a meeting with Luca and officials from Building Digital UK to explore broadband solutions for Lambley.
  • Joe Morris highlighted the need for government intervention in hard-to-reach rural areas lacking broadband infrastructure.
  • Helen Morgan inquired about steps taken to ensure reliable broadband services in remote rural areas.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Joe Morris Lab Hexham
Science & Technology Local Government Environment
Context

Constituents face months-long delays and lack of accountability for broadband installation. Specific mention of Lambley village lacking reliable internet.

Question

Yesterday I spoke to my constituent Luca, who has spent months campaigning for the investment that is needed to secure a reliable internet and phone connection for his community in the village of Lambley. He has been pushed from pillar to post between private companies, national agencies and local government, and meanwhile the residents of Lambley continue to live without effective internet connection. The solutions depend on funding and co-operation, which are challenging owing to the location and the lack of accountability. Will the Minister meet representatives of Coanwood parish council, Luca and me to try to find a way forward for Lambley and other rural communities?

Answer from Ian Murray

I am happy for that to be arranged with Luca, the parish council and my hon. Friend, along with officials from Building Digital UK, so that we can explore the solutions that are possible for his constituents. The Minister for Digital Economy, who sits in the other place, will be holding a surgery for Members of this House on 14 April, and I think my hon. Friend should go along and discuss these issues with her as well.

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Q2 Joe Morris Lab Hexham
Science & Technology
Context

Constituents in rural areas are frustrated by lack of broadband access and seeking immediate solutions.

Question

I could reel off countless examples of villages in my constituency where hard-to-reach areas simply have no broadband at all, let alone fibre broadband. Constituents and businesses are tearing their hair out. At what point will the Government possibly accept that if the millions—if not billions—of pounds are to reach those hard-to-reach places, it would probably be better to help those people to get, for instance, satellite broadband instead, so that they can have access to the internet now rather than having to wait for years?

Answer from Ian Murray

I am happy for the hon. Gentleman also to meet representatives of BDUK and the Minister for Digital Economy. He is absolutely right; while there will continue to be gaps for the very hardest-to-reach places, there are solutions out there, like wireless solutions, fixed-wireless access and, indeed, satellite broadband, which BDUK is examining now.

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Q3 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Science & Technology Energy Environment
Context

Concerns about UK's critical rural broadband infrastructure dependency on US-based Starlink vs European-owned OneWeb.

Question

Starlink is a US telecoms company owned by a South African American who advocates civil war in the United Kingdom. OneWeb is a European satellite telecoms company, which is part-owned by the UK. Yesterday the Science Minister told my Committee that OneWeb could be used to ensure domestic communications resilience in remote areas. Can the Minister tell me whether our critical rural broadband infrastructure is more dependent on Starlink or on OneWeb?

Answer from Ian Murray

We are a shareholder in Eutelsat, of which OneWeb is a part, and we will be examining all these issues. We have asked for Eutelsat to come forward with proposals to ensure that we have that resilience here in the UK, and we want to make more use of that shareholding.

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Q4 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Science & Technology Business & Trade Environment
Context

Project Gigabit roll-out failure with Freedom Fibre handing back contract, leaving thousands unconnected.

Question

The roll-out of Project Gigabit in my constituency has been a failure because Freedom Fibre has handed back the contract, with many thousands of properties unconnected, and the replacement contract is likely to take many more years to deliver gigabit access to thousands of my constituents. The all-party parliamentary group on digital communities, which I chair, has suggested some solutions to the problem. Will the Minister come to one of our meetings, and meet us, in order to understand how critical this is for rural communities?

Answer from Ian Murray

I am happy to ensure that the Minister in the other place who deals with this particular issue meets the APPG. However, Project Gigabit is designed to adapt in the event of a contracted supplier no longer being able to complete its planned delivery, using a mix of contracts and interventions. We are keen to hear from the hon. Lady about the experiences of her constituents.

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Q5 Helen Morgan Lib Dem North Shropshire
Science & Technology Business & Trade Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Concerns about reliable broadband services in hard-to-reach areas of rural constituencies.

Question

What steps she is taking to help ensure reliable broadband services in hard-to-reach areas of rural constituencies.

Answer from Ian Murray

By means of commercial and subsidised delivery, the Government are ensuring that gigabit-capable connections are available to 99% of UK premises by 2032 through, for instance, Project Gigabit. This is critical for all UK communities if the public are to take advantage of the opportunities of technology, including the transformational investment in AI that the Chancellor announced yesterday, and if the United Kingdom is to win the global race for AI and be at the forefront of quantum computing as a result of the Government's pledge to procure those connections. If everyone in every community across the UK is to win, they need to be connected, including those in Hexham.

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