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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Ofcom's report entitled UK Home Broadband Performance, published on 9 September 2021, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the finding that average peak-time download speeds in urban areas were a third higher than those in rural areas in March 2021.

The government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. Over half of premises across the UK can now access gigabit-capable networks, up from just one in ten in November 2019. We are also investing £5 billion in Project Gigabit so that hard-to-reach and rural communities are not left behind. In addition, nationwide superfast broadband coverage now stands at 97%, meaning the vast majority of the UK has access to speeds of 30Mbps or higher.

Furthermore, for communities not in line for either commercial or government-funded plans, we are providing more immediate support through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and are investing up to £110 million to upgrade rural public buildings.