Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of residents paying above 5% of household income on (a) broadband and (b) mobile services in Wiltshire; and what steps he is taking to monitor the affordability of connectivity in rural areas.

The Government has not estimated the number of residents spending over 5% of household income on broadband and mobile services in Wiltshire.

We regularly engage with Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications, who publish research on affordability of telecoms services, including the number of households who struggle to pay for their bills, but they do not report on the number of households paying above 5% of their income.

To support low-income households, over 25 providers offer low-cost mobile and broadband packages for those on Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits.