Written Question
Friday 15th May 2020
Asked by:
Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question
to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to support the roll-out of superfast broadband to rural areas in response to the increase in remote working during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Matt Warman
Now, more than ever, it is important that people can get reliable connectivity to help them work. That is why the Government is working closely with the telecommunications industry to ensure that
the roll out of digital infrastructure continues during the current pandemic and exploring what can be done to make the roll-out as rapid as possible. It is also why telecoms workers have been designated as 'key workers'
Given the current situation and guidance from Government regarding COVID-19 measures, Building Digital UK (BDUK) has been in contact with their key Superfast suppliers to understand what impact this might have on BDUK contracts, and what contingency measures are being put in place or being considered to be put in place as the situation develops.
Currently, on site work continues whilst observing the guidelines around social distancing. BDUK is aware that this situation could change and will update their plans accordingly, if necessary. This not only applies to the Superfast programme but also for the Local Full Fibre Networks and Rural Gigabit Connectivity programmes also.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 16 Jan 2020
Oral Answers to Questions
"The universal service obligation is welcome to my constituents in Suffolk and to many rural residents, but for rural businesses, the basic service commitment may well not be enough. What more can the Minister do to support rural businesses that need a large amount of broadband capacity to support their …..."Dan Poulter - View Speech
View all Dan Poulter (Lab - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 23 Oct 2018
Addictive Technology
"I am not at all unsympathetic to what the right hon. Gentleman is saying. There is a concern here that social media may be associated with poor mental health if it is overused, but there is a second issue to do with potentially addictive behaviour in gaming and social media …..."Dan Poulter - View Speech
View all Dan Poulter (Lab - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich) contributions to the debate on: Addictive Technology
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 17 Apr 2018
Leaving the EU: Tourism and the Creative Industries
"I congratulate the hon. Lady on securing this debate. As a remain voter, I am sympathetic to her position, but does she agree that sometimes one of the main drivers of tourism is the exchange rate, and one thing we have seen is increased tourism as a result of decreased …..."Dan Poulter - View Speech
View all Dan Poulter (Lab - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich) contributions to the debate on: Leaving the EU: Tourism and the Creative Industries