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<p>We have taken a range of actions to support full fibre connectivity across the
UK, including in rural areas.</p><p> </p><p>In the Spring 2017 Budget, £200m of funding
was allocated to the Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme. This includes a £190m
Challenge Fund designed to stimulate commercial investment in full fibre networks
in both rural and urban locations across the UK and a market trial of the Gigabit
Broadband Voucher Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>£400 million of public funding has also been
made available for fibre connectivity through the Digital Infrastructure Investment
Fund, that will unlock approximately £1 billion of private investment.</p><p> </p><p>DEFRA
has also allocated £30 million of grant funding from the Rural Development Programme
for England, targeted at helping to connect businesses with broadband in hard to reach
rural areas.</p><p> </p><p>Beyond this, the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review
will assess what further changes could be made to create the competitive conditions
to encourage the long term investment needed to deliver the next generation of digital
infrastructure in different areas of the UK, including hard-to-reach rural areas.</p><p>
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