Rural Broadband: Installation Debate
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Jim Shannon
Main Page: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)Department Debates - View all Jim Shannon's debates with the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Rural Broadband: Installation
Jim Shannon Excerpts(1 day, 10 hours ago)
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Sir Ashley Fox (Bridgwater) (Con)
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the impact of the time taken to install gigabit capable broadband on rural communities.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. Broadband is now an essential part of daily life. Families, businesses and communities all rely on a good connection. The fact that most of us managed without it for most of our lives is irrelevant; times change, and we change with them. I recall family friends talking, when I was a child, about electricity coming to their village in the 1940s. We would not now think it tolerable for any village not to have a reliable supply of electricity, because the provision of electricity is a basic service—a utility that underpins almost everything in daily life. In many ways, that is what broadband is becoming.
I represent a beautiful Somerset constituency that is part rural and part urban. I can see the different issues that persist in different areas, and the gap in service between those who live in the town and those who live in the countryside. Last year, I conducted a survey of the rural areas in my constituency and asked residents to rate the quality of their broadband service. I asked them to give scores out of 10 across customer service, internet speed, reliability and value for money.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing the debate. Under a previous Government, the DUP had funding from the confidence and supply arrangement, and we were able to boost the broadband in Northern Ireland exceptionally. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, by their very nature, delays perpetuate the digital divide, causing rural areas to be perceived as lagging behind their urban counterparts in economic growth, productivity and access to essential services, and that in fact this could, and must, be easily remedied by investment and a good delivery strategy?
Sir Ashley Fox
The hon. Member anticipates much of my speech, and I thank him for that intervention.
Unsurprisingly, in my survey those in larger villages reported the best service, and those in the most remote rural areas reported the worst.