The Government has confirmed that £200 million will be
allocated to fund full fibre broadband connections in hard
to reach areas across the UK, starting with all primary
schools who would otherwise never have had access to
high-quality broadband.
This will also allow us to test new approaches to fibre
rollout in rural areas, benefiting tens of thousands of
homes and businesses across the UK with the Borderlands,
Cornwall, and Welsh valleys amongst the first areas to be
targeted.
Earlier this year the Future Telecoms
Infrastructure Review (FTIR) outlined plans to
ensure that the country’s broadband infrastructure is fit
for the future. This was backed up by the Chancellor who
set ambitious targets for nationwide full fibre coverage by
2033.
The plans will see mostly competitive commercial investment
made across the UK however the FTIR identified that around
10% of the country would need additional funding, from
whatever source, of around £3 billion.
To ensure that the hardest to reach areas are not left
behind an ‘outside-in’ approach will be needed to connect
these areas at the same pace as the rest of the country.
DCMS Secretary of State said:
Through our modern Industrial Strategy it’s our ambition
to have a full fibre Britain that is fit for the future.
By changing our approach and investing in the hardest to
reach places first, we will ensure that the whole country
can reap the benefits of full fibre broadband.
The Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme is the first step
in this process, with funding coming from the National
Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF). The £200 million will
trial models for local hubs in rural areas, starting with
primary schools, alongside a voucher scheme for funding
full fibre connectivity to nearby premises, providing full
fibre connectivity to homes and businesses.
Making full fibre mandatory for new builds
Government has also kick started the process of making the
provision of full fibre broadband compulsory for all new
builds. New build developments are a clear case in which
opportunities for boosting full fibre broadband coverage
are not being seized. Whilst there are examples of the most
proactive developers and network providers delivering good
connectivity, sites with no, or slow, connections are
inexcusable.
Minister for Digital said:
Too many new build homes are built with slow, or no,
connections. This needs to change. Making full fibre
mandatory for new builds will help us meet our ambitious
broadband goals, connect people and places and strengthen
our digital society.
Poor connections have a disproportionate impact on
residents and communities. When people cannot work from
home, pay bills online or run small businesses it is not
just the individual who suffers; slow, unreliable
connections hamper innovation, stop collaboration between
groups and make it harder for local economies and
communities to thrive.
To address this, Government plans to ensure delivery of
gigabit-capable connections to all new build homes,
reversing the trend of new build homes being associated
with poor connections. The policy will also enable wider
deployment of fibre technology across the UK, and
a consultation published
yesterday seeks views on:
- How developers and network operators should share the
cost of connecting new build sites to gigabit-capable
networks
- Introducing a ‘duty to connect’ provision upon network
operators
- Amending building regulations which will mean all new
build sites will be built with the necessary infrastructure
in place to support gigabit-capable networks
