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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will provide additional support for broadband provision to difficult to reach properties in (a) rural and (b) urban areas which have not been provided with access under the universal service obligation to date and where Openreach fibre roll-out has been delayed for more than a year.

Reliable, fast broadband is now seen as an essential service, not a nice-to-have. We are introducing a new broadband Universal Service Obligation in this Parliament to ensure that everyone can benefit from improved broadband connectivity. Premises in hard to reach areas, not served by commercial or existing publicly funded broadband roll outs, will have the legal right to request a broadband connection with speeds of at least 10 Megabits, no matter where they live or work.