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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the provision of (a) fast and (b) reliable broadband to (i) homes and (ii) business in Solihull constituency.

Gigabit broadband coverage is expanding rapidly in Solihull. According to the independent website www.thinkbroadband.com almost 98% of premises in the constituency now have access to gigabit-capable broadband, which is above the national average of 70%. Over 99% of premises in Solihull also have access to superfast broadband with speeds of at least 30 Mbps.

We are investing £5 billion through Project Gigabit so homes and businesses in hard-to-reach areas can access gigabit broadband. A core element of the programme is delivered through regional and local contracts that provide subsidies to broadband suppliers to build gigabit-capable infrastructure to premises that would not otherwise be reached through suppliers’ commercial plans.

Solihull is included in our regional supplier procurement for Leicestershire and Warwickshire, which we plan to launch between February and April 2023. A small number of premises in Solihull are likely to be included in the procurement, taking into account the current availability of gigabit broadband and suppliers’ build plans for the area.

Some parts of Solihull may also be included in the intervention area for our regional supplier procurement covering Birmingham and the Black Country. We are currently conducting market engagement which will help to inform us of the extent of public intervention that is required in these areas.

Some homes and businesses may also be able to apply for subsidy via the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which provides a micro-grant of up to £1,500 for residents and up to £3,500 for businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband.