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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to maximise the uptake of next-generation gigabit broadband by consumers and businesses, to achieve the target of 85 per cent of the UK’s population having access to it by 2025.

On 8 August 2020, the Government asked Which?, CBI and the Federation of Small Businesses to convene the Gigabit Take-up Advisory Group (GigaTAG) to undertake an evidence-based analysis of the barriers to take-up. The Advisory Group, which also included representatives from other organisations including Ofcom, the Broadband Stakeholder Group and the Internet Service Providers’ Association, published its final report on 16 June 2021 which set out a number of recommendations to Government, Ofcom, industry and trade bodies.

Action is already planned by the respective bodies to whom some of the recommendations were directed at. Ofcom plans to work with industry to improve the consistency of broadband terminology and information in the market. BDUK plans to develop a 'Gigabit toolkit' to support local bodies in raising awareness and understanding of the benefits of gigabit connectivity among local residents and businesses.

The Government is now considering the Advisory Group’s wider recommendations.