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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the invention by Agri-Broadband which has enabled broadband speed to be increased from 1 Mbps to 45 Mbps; and whether such an invention could contribute to equipping rural areas with superfast broadband.

The Government welcomes the work of companies such as Agri-Broadband who are providing superfast broadband services to rural communities.

We recognise that a range of solutions will be required to reach those in the hardest to reach areas. That is why the Government has invested up to £8 million to support seven pilot projects to explore ways to extend superfast broadband beyond 95% of UK premises, with technologies such as satellite and wireless and using alternative financing models.