I know that focus is currently, and rightly, on the impending second lockdown but this, if anything, reinforces the need for reliable, high-speed broadband to be available in every community, particularly as so many people continue to work from home. Today I met with Matt Warman MP, Minister for Digital and Broadband.
We discussed the ongoing needs of Broadland residents in respect of both broadland and the need for better/more reliable mobile phone coverage in the constituency. The government acknowledges there is still much more to be done but, as the following data shows, there has been a great deal of investment in improvements so far:
- £1.9bn of public funding committed to subsidising the roll out of broadband infrastructure in harder to reach areas through the government's Superfast Broadband Programme, resulting in 5.3m UK premises having their broadband infrastructure upgraded.
- 1.6m UK premises currently unable to access broadband speeds of at least 30 megabits per second (Mbps)
- 29.5m out of a total of 31m now able to sign up to internet packages offering speeds of at least 30Mbps, of which 17% (5.1m) were reached through the government's Superfast Broadband Programme.
- 95% of UK premises now able to access superfast broadband speeds of at least 30Mbps.
- 80% of premises able to access superfast broadband speeds of at least 30Mbps, compared to 97% in urban areas.
- 2025 - target date for all UK premises to have access to gigabit-capable broadband (speeds of at least 1000Mbps)
- £5bn of government funding committed to its future programme for subsidising rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to the hardest to reach 20% of UK premises
- 27% of UK premises currently covered by broadband infrastructure capable of delivering gigabit-capable broadband. 14% currently covered by fibre-optic 'to the premises' cabling.
