Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the (a) funding, (b) timescales and (c) other details of the delivery programme for gigabit-enabled broadband; and if he will make a statement.

The Government is implementing a number of reforms to make it easier for the private sector to deploy gigabit capable broadband as quickly as possible, building on the recommendations of the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review.

For example, the Government recently introduced the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill into Parliament, which will make it easier for operators to connect leasehold properties to gigabit broadband where the landlord repeatedly fails to respond to requests from operators to access the property. In the Queen’s Speech, the Government also announced it will legislate to ensure new build homes have the infrastructure to support gigabit capable connections by requiring housing developers to work with broadband companies to install these connections in virtually all new build homes, up to a cost cap.

In addition to commercial delivery by the private sector, the Government has announced £5bn of funding to deliver faster broadband in the hardest to reach areas of the UK. The Department is currently consulting with industry on the delivery programme and will announce further details on this programme, and other reforms to support private sector deployment, in due course.