House of Commons · Westminster Hall
13 November 2024 · 4 other contributors · 4,275 words
Opened by Sarah Dyke Lib Dem Glastonbury and Somerton
Responding minister: Chris Bryant
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Sarah Dyke raised concerns about rural broadband in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
I urge the Government to ensure that the remaining unspent funds for Project Gigabit are spent on ensuring hard-to-reach areas are covered. The ongoing spending review must take into account the opportunities in rural areas for boosting UK productivity by £72 billion by 2030.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
I am concerned about the poor broadband coverage in rural areas, with only 21% of county areas having gigabit broadband compared to 70% of London. In my constituency, more than 15% of premises receive lines getting 10 megabits per second or less, putting the area in the worst 10% in the UK. Businesses and farmers are struggling due to slow internet speeds and unreliable connections, impacting productivity and security.
Asked about the £500 million set aside for the shared rural network, suggested using funds to help with broadband roll-out in areas like Scotland where it is unpopular and not meeting needs.
Described discrepancies between paper maps showing good coverage and the reality experienced by constituents, thanked the Minister for recent meetings discussing roll-out plans in East Cleveland.
Sought a meeting with the Minister to discuss issues with Connecting Devon and Somerset cancelling multiple contracts, questioned if there is a unique problem in that area.
Asked if the Minister is also responsible for mobile signal issues in addition to broadband, expressing a need for action on improving signals in her area.
Government Response
Chris BryantIt is a delight to be here, Dame Siobhain, and I warmly congratulate the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton on securing this debate. The Minister acknowledges that broadband is essential to nearly every form of engagement in modern life and recognises the need for full gigabit capable broadband for every single set of premises as soon as possible. He mentions that he has raised concerns about Ofcom's reporting not matching people's lived experiences, where coverage may appear adequate but is practically unusable due to slow speeds or other issues. The Minister offers to organise meetings with officials to go through specific issues in individual constituencies and highlights the universal service obligation on the Minister here. He explains that the Government does not want to pay for the roll-out of broadband across the whole of the UK, preferring commercial operators to do so as cost-effectively as possible, stepping in where it is not commercially viable. The hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton mentioned very hard-to-reach places; there will probably be 1% of places where it will be extremely difficult for either a commercial operation or the taxpayer to take fibre to every single property. The Minister suggests looking at alternatives such as satellite or wireless delivery in these cases. The Minister also addresses digital inclusion, stating that broadband and mobile connectivity are crucial services on which we have all come to rely, whether it is for running farms, government operations, or being a member of society. He notes the importance of mapping areas of digital deprivation and tackling poverty to ensure universal access and skills development.