Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle broadband blackspots in London.
Answered by Margot James
In those areas where decent broadband is not available, we are introducing a broadband Universal Service Obligation so that by 2020 everyone across the UK will have a clear, enforceable right to request high speed broadband of at least 10 Megabits per second. We will keep the speed and quality parameters under review to make sure that it keeps pace with consumers' evolving needs.
In addition, the Government’s ambition is for full fibre to 15 million premises by 2025 and nationwide coverage by 2033. On 23 July, the Government published its Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, setting out approach to achieving our targets by promoting competition and commercial investment.
The Government is also investing in full fibre connectivity through our £280 million Local Full Fibre Networks programme. In March 2018, funding was allocated to 13 successful bidders, with projects in several UK cities, including London, Manchester, Cambridge, Cardiff, and Belfast.