Catherine Fookes
Main Page: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)Department Debates - View all Catherine Fookes's debates with the Cabinet Office
(1 day, 8 hours ago)
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Ian Murray
The date is 2032: the Government are committed to ensuring 99% gigabit coverage by 2032. We have just rolled out 30 new Project Gigabit contracts across England, connecting 850,000 homes. The Government are fully committed to delivering this, and 2032 is the target.
Catherine Fookes (Monmouthshire) (Lab)
My constituents regularly tell me how frustrating it is to try to take work video-calls from home: they get the circle of doom. I know they are not exaggerating, because it happens to me too, especially when my kids are at home. Can the Minister update my constituents and me on Project Gigabit’s progress and plans for better broadband in rural areas?
Ian Murray
We all fear that circle of doom when we are on the internet, whether we are watching videos or doing anything else. Indeed, that is why the Government are committed to ensuring that everyone has that connectivity by 2032. Project Gigabit has just signed 30 new contracts for the hardest-to-reach rural areas, to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy gigabit connectivity across the country, and the reliability and robustness of the system are key parts of that.