Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Caroline Nokes and Lord Vaizey of Didcot

Thursday 27th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vaizey]

I am pleased to tell the hon. Lady that I have sat down with representatives of the City of London to talk about broadband in central London. I was also pleased to hear the City of London’s plans to roll out its own broadband network, because competition is very important. She raises an important point, and we will continue to keep that matter under review.

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con)]

The Abbotsford estate on the edge of Romsey is a brand-new, 800-home development that still suffers from broadband speeds of less than 2 megabits. Does the Minister agree that it will be an enormously long wait until 2017 for those residents to get decent speeds?

[Mr Vaizey]

There are two answers to that question. The first is that we have sat down with developers and network providers to work on a code of conduct to ensure that new developments get broadband. Secondly, it is worth reminding hon. Members, including my hon. Friend, that this is a difficult engineering project. We cannot deliver broadband with the wave of a wand, but we are ahead of schedule in almost all areas.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Caroline Nokes and Lord Vaizey of Didcot

Thursday 22nd March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con)]

13. What progress he has made on his plans to extend superfast broadband to rural areas.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (Mr Edward Vaizey)]

May I apologise for the Secretary of State’s absence from questions today and thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving him leave of absence? The whole House will be aware of the happy reasons for that absence.

We anticipate that the broadband delivery framework contract will be signed with suppliers in mid-April, and we expect the first three projects to enter procurement using the framework immediately after. We have set a target for all broadband procurement to be completed by the end of 2012, so that delivery can be completed by 2015.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Vaizey]

We continue to invest a substantial amount in broadband roll-out, and I am happy to join my hon. Friend in congratulating Worcestershire county council on investing alongside the Government. It is a great testament to the scheme that we have put in place that we have secured private funding and local government funding alongside central Government funding.

[Caroline Nokes]

What progress has been made to overcome the issues of state aid in unlocking the rural broadband fund, which will help in counties such as Hampshire?

[Mr Vaizey]

We have applied for a UK-wide scheme for state aid approval. We believe that we are close to approval, and we continue to work closely with the European Commission on the issue.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Caroline Nokes and Lord Vaizey of Didcot

Thursday 3rd November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vaizey]

First, may I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his Front-Bench position? I look forward to exchanging views with him for many years to come.

I wholeheartedly endorse what the hon. Gentleman has said. I am working with rights holders and ISPs to achieve a self-regulatory solution. It is also important to work with credit card companies and advertisers; Indeed, later today I shall speak to the Internet Advertising Bureau on this very subject.

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con)]

3. What progress his Department has made in rolling out superfast broadband to rural communities.