Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department provides to communities that are not included in suppliers' planned full fibre broadband rollout programmes.

The Government is committed to ensuring 99% of premises receive gigabit coverage by 2032. According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations Spring Report, 88% of UK premises can already access a gigabit-capable connection.

As of the end of June 2026, over 1.46 million premises in hard-to-reach communities across the UK had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes.

Project Gigabit is the Government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. Following a recent consultation with suppliers on their capability and interest in further delivery through Project Gigabit in the areas previously covered by CityFibre’s contract, a procurement is now underway with Openreach for a new contract to provide coverage to as many of the remaining premises as possible in East Hampshire.