Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to increase broadband access for (a) residents and (b) businesses in (i) Fylde constituency and (ii) Lancashire.

According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 99% of homes and businesses in the Fylde constituency can access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and over 94% have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps). In Lancashire, over 98% of homes and businesses can access superfast broadband speeds, and over 90% have access to a gigabit-capable connection.

To improve this coverage further, Openreach is delivering a Project Gigabit contract across Lancashire, targeted at bringing gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses in hard-to-reach areas that are unlikely to be otherwise reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout. Approximately 11,450 homes and businesses in Lancashire are currently expected to benefit from this contract, including in Fylde.