Helen Whately

Do you remember when mobile phones were like breezeblocks and dial-up connections to the internet made that bizarre screaming noise? Now I find it hard to imagine life without smartphones and broadband, being able to collect emails on the move and let people know when – inevitably – I’m running late.

Broadband is no longer a luxury, it’s essential for day-to-day life. Businesses rely on the internet to operate, families use it to stay in touch, students for research and the days of TV coming down an aerial are surely numbered when you can watch what you want when you want over fast broadband.

In this area we’ve seen big improvements in broadband. By this time next year 90% of homes and businesses in my constituency should be getting speeds of at least 10 megabits per second.

The government’s £1.7 billion investment in upgrading the old copper telephone wires to fibre optic has helped 8,432 homes and businesses get connected since 2015.

However parts of Kent are being left behind. Only 22% of homes and businesses in Headcorn are getting superfast speeds and 21% in Harrietsham and Lenham – making them among the worst connected places in Kent.

So I’m pleased the government has introduced a Universal Service Obligation, so every home and business in the UK can request a