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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of properties in North East Bedfordshire receive (a) broadband at speeds below 2MBPS and (b) superfast broadband; and what changes there have been in these proportions.

Ofcom publish availability data. They report that the percentage of premises in Central Bedfordshire with speeds less than 2Mbps was 8.6% and 12% in Bedford. Superfast broadband is available to 76.8% of Central Bedfordshire and 77.1% of Bedford.

Between 2012 and 2013 this represents an increase of 6.5% in superfast broadband availability in Central Bedfordshire and a 1.8% reduction in the number receiving 2Mbps or below. For Bedford, figures are 1.1% increase in availability of superfast broadband and a 2.4% reduction in 2Mbps or below services.

Ofcom did not publish analysis at constituency level. The Ofcom figures were released in 2013, but Ofcom are due to release an update of its Fixed Broadband Map for 2014 shortly.