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1688106

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Rural Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of rural broadband coverage.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	13556
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2024 answer text <p>According to Ofcom’s December 2023 Connected Nations report, only 0.2% of properties are unable to get decent broadband coverage (defined as at least 10Mbps download speed and 1Mbps upload speed), with 88% of rural UK residential properties having superfast broadband coverage.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to improving broadband coverage in rural areas, with gigabit broadband coverage delivered through the £5 billion Project Gigabit which will deliver cutting edge connectivity for millions or rural homes, with alternative connectivity solutions being investigated for very hard to reach premises.</p><p> </p><p>For those premises still unable to get a decent broadband connection, the Broadband USO provides consumers the right to request a broadband connection if their current connection falls below 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 23/02/2024 10:20:52 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1688178

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Rural Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to improve rural connectivity.
tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
tabling member printed	Dr Kieran Mullan
uin	13626
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2024 answer text <p>Since the published response to Question 7150 on 19 December 2023, we have made further progress with Project Gigabit by signing an additional six contracts, providing more than £450 million to broadband suppliers to roll out fast, reliable broadband to rural and remote communities.</p><p> </p><p>The Crewe and Nantwich constituency is covered by the Project Gigabit procurement for Cheshire, for which we aim to award a contract in the coming months.</p><p> </p><p>Overall, the number of UK premises that can access gigabit-capable broadband has increased to over 80% up from just 6% in 2019, and the UK is on track to achieve 85% coverage by 2025.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 23/02/2024 09:51:40 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4860 label Biography information for Dr Kieran Mullan

1678257

registered interest
date	14/12/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Rural Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to improve rural connectivity.
tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
tabling member printed	Dr Kieran Mullan
uin	7150
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to improve digital connectivity in rural areas. Project Gigabit is the Government’s £5 billion programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to rural and hard-to-reach communities across the UK. Alongside suppliers’ commercial rollout plans, our target is to achieve 85% gigabit coverage of the UK by 2025, and then nationwide coverage by 2030. Over 79% of UK premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband, which represents significant progress since January 2019, when coverage was just 6%.</p><p> </p><p>We now have 16 contracts in place, and combined with our procurements running across the country, we have made over £2 billion of funding available to support the deployment of gigabit-capable broadband to over 1.1 million premises in hard-to-reach areas across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Support is also available for homes and businesses in some rural areas through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. Over 108,00 vouchers have been used to connect rural homes and businesses with fast, reliable broadband.</p><p> </p><p>For very hard to reach premises, in April 2023, the Government announced a capital grants scheme to provide up to 35,000 premises with help to access Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite equipment to improve their connectivity. More information on this scheme will be announced in the new year.</p><p> </p><p>To improve 4G coverage in rural areas, the government is working with the UK’s four mobile network operators (EE, Three, VMO2 and Vodafone) to deliver the Shared Rural Network. This agreement will see the Government and industry jointly invest over £1 billion to increase outdoor 4G mobile coverage across the UK to 95% by the end of 2025. The programme targets areas of the country with partial or no 4G coverage, and will significantly improve mobile coverage for an extra 280,000 premises and 16,000km of roads. 4G coverage across the UK is approaching 93%, which is up from 91% when the Shared Rural Network deal was signed in March 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside the Shared Rural Network, the Government’s Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, published in April 2023, set out further steps to improve connectivity across the UK, including a new ambition for nationwide coverage of standalone 5G in all populated areas by 2030.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, Simon Fell MP has been appointed as the Government’s Rural Connectivity Champion. His role will be to ensure that rural communities and businesses can access and adopt the connectivity that they need.</p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Sir John Whittingdale question first answered 19/12/2023 11:46:45 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4860 label Biography information for Dr Kieran Mullan

1673778

registered interest
date	28/11/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Rural Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Camrose on 27 September (HL10227), when the temporary pause to the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme was introduced; when the work to launch the new procurements will be completed; and for what reason they closed the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme while the procurements were taking place.
tabling member printed	Lord Empey
uin	HL655
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2023 answer text <p>The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme was paused in Northern Ireland on 6 July 2023. The voucher scheme is paused ahead of planned procurements across an area, to enable the intervention area to be defined and to avoid the doubling up of public subsidy for eligible premises.</p><p> </p><p>Procurements in Northern Ireland are currently due to launch in the first half of 2024, with the aim to award a contract to the successful supplier by Autumn 2024.</p><p> </p><p>Where the scope of voucher projects will not impact on procurement planning, these may be approved and can continue to be delivered throughout the voucher pause period.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 12/12/2023 14:13:26 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
tabling member	4216 label Biography information for Lord Empey

1673779

registered interest
date	28/11/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Rural Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Camrose on 28 September (HL10228), how many of the 97 voucher project applications came from Northern Ireland.
tabling member printed	Lord Empey
uin	HL656
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2023 answer text <p>The number of voucher project applications awaiting approval is dynamic and changes regularly. As of 30 November 2023, there are eight outstanding voucher project applications for Northern Ireland pending a decision.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 12/12/2023 14:13:42 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
tabling member	4216 label Biography information for Lord Empey

1667688

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Rural Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 26 October 2023 to Question 204064 on Broadband: Rural Areas, whether her Department plans to provide support to people who are ineligible for the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme because they are in plan to have superfast broadband installed but do not have a timescale for this process.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2023 answer text <p>Eligibility for the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme is dependent on premises meeting the relevant criteria, such as not being included in any suppliers’ commercial rollout plans for a gigabit-capable connection, nor in any other government-funded contract - planned or in place - to improve the network.</p><p> </p><p>Eligibility for the voucher scheme is also dependent on the premises’ rurality status and only being able to access speeds less than 100Mbps. Therefore, commercial plans to provide superfast speeds (&gt;=30Mbps) would not result in ineligibility for the scheme, assuming the premises met the wider requirements.</p><p> </p><p>Although premises that are included in suppliers’ plans to receive a <em>gigabit-capable</em> connection are ineligible for vouchers, we still keep commercial plans under review. If these plans change, we will explore whether the premises can be connected through Project Gigabit.</p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Sir John Whittingdale question first answered 15/11/2023 09:52:39 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1666859

registered interest
date	24/10/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Rural Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support rural communities increase levels of broadband connectivity.
tabling member constituency	Penrith and The Border
tabling member printed	Dr Neil Hudson
uin	204064
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to improve digital connectivity in rural areas. Project Gigabit is the Government’s £5 billion programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to rural and hard-to-reach communities across the UK. Alongside suppliers’ commercial rollout plans, our target is to achieve 85% gigabit coverage of the UK by 2025, and then nationwide coverage by 2030. Over 78% of UK premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband, which represents significant progress since January 2019, when coverage was just 6%.</p><p> </p><p>Through our 12 Project Gigabit contracts, including one in Cumbria, and 27 current live procurements, we have made over £2 billion of funding available to suppliers to bring gigabit-capable broadband to up to 1.1 million premises in hard to reach parts of the country.</p><p> </p><p>Support is also available for homes and businesses in some rural areas through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. Over 100,00 vouchers have been used to connect rural homes and businesses with fast, reliable broadband.</p><p> </p><p>In April 2023, the Government announced a capital grants scheme to provide up to 35,000 premises with help to access Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite equipment to improve their connectivity. The scheme will be open to premises that the department has identified as being unlikely to benefit from an improved fixed line, or fixed wireless access connection. More information on eligibility for this scheme will be announced shortly.</p><p> </p><p>The department is also consulting on future policy solutions for Very Hard to Reach premises. In October 2023, we launched two consultations, one on the Broadband Universal Service Obligation and one setting out our proposed policy approach to connecting Very Hard to Reach premises across the UK. We welcome contributions to both consultations until they close on Monday 27 November.</p><p> </p><p>To improve mobile coverage in rural areas, the Government is working with the UK’s four mobile network operators to deliver the Shared Rural Network. This agreement will see the Government and industry jointly invest over £1 billion to increase outdoor 4G mobile coverage across the UK to 95% by the end of 2025. The programme targets areas of the country with partial or no 4G coverage, in rural and hard-to-reach locations across the UK. 4G coverage across the UK is currently approaching 93%, which is up from 91% when the Shared Rural Network deal was signed in March 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside the Shared Rural Network, the Government’s Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, published in April 2023, set out further steps to improve connectivity across the UK, including a new ambition for nationwide coverage of standalone 5G in all populated areas by 2030.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, Simon Fell MP has been appointed as the Government’s Rural Connectivity Champion. His role will be to ensure that rural communities and businesses can access and adopt the connectivity that they need.</p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Sir John Whittingdale grouped question UIN 204065 question first answered 26/10/2023 08:20:07 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4853 label Biography information for Dr Neil Hudson

1661504

registered interest
date	18/09/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Rural Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a delay in issuing vouchers in Northern Ireland under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme for rural broadband connectivity.
tabling member printed	Lord Empey
uin	HL10227
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2023 answer text <p>As part of Project Gigabit, we are planning to launch procurements in Northern Ireland, to bring gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans.</p><p>Work is under way to identify the premises requiring support, and a temporary pause to the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme for projects in Northern Ireland was initiated to enable the intervention area to be defined.</p><p>Building Digital UK (BDUK) is working closely with all active suppliers registered on the voucher scheme to identify areas where a voucher-funded project has a good likelihood of delivering gigabit coverage faster than the procurement route and represents good value for money. These areas are designated as voucher priority areas, meaning that suppliers are able to continue to build voucher-funded projects in these areas throughout procurement.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 27/09/2023 09:35:17 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
tabling member	4216 label Biography information for Lord Empey

1660616

registered interest
date	13/09/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Rural Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the retirement of the public switched telephone network on the broadband connectivity of rural communities.
tabling member constituency	Penrith and The Border
tabling member printed	Dr Neil Hudson
uin	199512
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>The retirement of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) will not have any impact on broadband connectivity. The replacement Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services only require a very basic internet connection to function correctly. As a result, rural communities with limited digital connectivity can be upgraded to digital telephony services. For additional information, I would like to refer the Hon. Member to the answer Minister Julia Lopez gave to Question 135333 on 7 February 2023.</p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Sir John Whittingdale question first answered 18/09/2023 15:05:40 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4853 label Biography information for Dr Neil Hudson

1654175

registered interest
date	13/07/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Rural Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to improve rural connectivity.
tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
tabling member printed	David Duguid
uin	906128
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2023 answer text <p>We have already announced twelve Project Gigabit contracts, to extend gigabit-capable networks in rural and hard-to-reach areas of the UK. More contracts are set to be awarded in the coming months.</p><p> </p><p>Support is also available through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which provides a subsidy of up to £4,500 for residents and businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband through local community broadband projects.</p><p> </p><p>Through the Shared Rural Network, we are also jointly investing over £1 billion to increase 4G mobile coverage throughout the UK.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Sir John Whittingdale question first answered 19/07/2023 15:08:48 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4606 label Biography information for David Duguid