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Rural Broadband: Installation
27 January 2026
Lead MP
Ashley Fox
Bridgwater
Con
Responding Minister
Kanishka Narayan
Tags
Economy
Word Count: 4466
Other Contributors: 12
At a Glance
Ashley Fox raised concerns about rural broadband: installation in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The Government must address the digital divide perpetuated by delays in broadband installation, especially affecting remote rural areas that are vital for food production and tourism.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Broadband is now an essential part of daily life for families, businesses and communities. Survey results in Sir Ashley's constituency showed poor broadband quality in remote rural areas with scores as low as 1.5 out of 10 reported by some residents. This issue affects productivity and access to services for farmers and small business owners who are required to interact online.
Adam Dance
LD
Yeovil
Raised concerns about the lack of transparency in Openreach's decisions not to provide gigabit fibre services and the potential impact on attracting innovative businesses to rural Somerset.
Alex Brewer
LD
North East Hampshire
In North East Hampshire, some areas have internet speeds less than 1 megabit per second, preventing students from completing their studies during holidays when they return home. High-speed broadband is critical to the country's infrastructure.
Aphra Brandreth
Con
Chester South and Eddisbury
Highlighted the issue of 15,000 premises without adequate broadband speeds in her constituency, urging the Government to reconsider voucher schemes or provide alternative solutions. Communities in Cheshire and Warrington have not seen new publicly delivered broadband connections for over two years. This Government must move faster on this issue.
Winchester
Discussed the dual issue of poor broadband and mobile signal coverage in non-remote rural areas within his constituency, emphasizing its detrimental effect on businesses.
Helen Morgan
LD
North Shropshire
Project Gigabit roll-out in North Shropshire was a disappointment, with only around 3,000 properties connected out of 12,000 planned. The Government needs to prioritise areas that were promised improvements.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Commended Sir Ashley Fox's initiative and highlighted the importance of timely broadband investment to remedy economic disparities between urban and rural areas.
Stated that Openreach had not made such a representation and emphasised the government's commitment to reaching the 99% target. The Government is working on removing deployment barriers for faster network build-out, considering alternatives for hard-to-reach areas like satellite connectivity, and recognising fixed wireless access as a viable option.
Luke Myer
Lab
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Asked the Minister to commit to meeting him to discuss broadband issues in his constituency, specifically in Stainton and Thornton.
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
Highlighted the low gigabit availability in north-east Skye (3%) and south Skye (4.5%), citing depopulation among young people due to poor internet connectivity.
Honiton and Sidmouth
Cited a local farm's loss of bookings due to poor internet connectivity, illustrating how unreliable services impact businesses in rural areas.
Ashley Fox
Con
Beaconsfield
The lack of reliable broadband discourages innovation and investment, pushing people towards cities. Families struggle to access online education and healthcare services due to poor internet speeds. Asked if the Government has sufficient funding to meet the target of 99% coverage by 2032.
Tim Farron
LD
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Agreed that upland farmers should have equal access to reliable internet services, emphasizing their critical role in food production and landscape preservation.
Government Response
Kanishka Narayan
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Government Response
Acknowledged the importance of connectivity in daily life, including work, education, healthcare, farming, and staying connected. Noted that delays in broadband delivery are particularly frustrating for rural residents with fewer alternatives than urban areas. Emphasised the Government’s mission to ensure 99% gigabit-capable connection by 2032, highlighting over 89% of UK premises already have access according to thinkbroadband.com. Through Project Gigabit, targeted communities where commercial roll-out would not otherwise take place, with public investment essential; as at the end of September 2025, over 1.3 million rural and hard-to-reach premises upgraded through Government-funded programmes, worth £2.4 billion in total contracts signed.
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Assessment & feedback
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.