Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-09-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of people in the UK who do not have access to superfast broadband.

Baroness Mobarik

We want everyone to have access to high speed broadband as part of our commitment to building a stronger, more connected economy that works for all.

Through the Government’s investment of over £780 million, superfast broadband is now available to 90% of homes and businesses in the UK, compared to less than half in 2010. By the end of 2017 it will be available to 95% of homes and businesses.

But we are determined to go further, and extra funding from clawback and efficiency savings in the local broadband contracts with BT will allow this coverage to be extended.

We are also committed to introducing a Universal Service Obligation for broadband through the Digital Economy Bill. Our ambition is to set the minimum speed at 10Mbps – enough to meet the needs of a typical family and many small businesses so no-one is left behind.