Anger over delays to faster rural broadband

RURAL campaigning group the Countryside Alliance has hit out at what it calls the neglect of the countryside, after a committee of MPs warned of slow broadband in parts of Britain for “years to come.”

The Public Accounts Committee criticised the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for not being prepared to admit sooner it would not meet a Conservative election pledge of gigabit broadband connectivity across the entire country by 2025.

It was not until the November 2020 Spending Review that the Government revealed it was rowing back on the target, aiming for at least 85% instead.

That original target was “unachievable”, MPs said in their Improving Broadband report, calling for a “clear timeline” of what activities the department intends to complete and by when.

“We are increasingly concerned that those in rural areas may have to pay more and may reach gigabit broadband speeds late,” the report stated. “Given the impact of Covid-19, the department must do more to protect those with limited access to the internet. We remain unconvinced that, if and when rural users finally do get gigabit broadband, they will enjoy the same choice of service provider and the same protections as their urban counterparts.”

The committee expressed concerns that a reduced target of 85% will still be challenging to meet.

Sarah Lee, head of policy at the Countryside Alliance, said: “This damming report shows once again the needs of rural communities are being ignored and comes at a time, at the start of another lockdown, that the importance of digital connectivity is crucial.

“We all hear the Government talk of levelling up the north/south divide and building back better but this is clearly not happening in the countryside.

“The report goes to show that we need to speed up roll-out, remove legislative barriers, and ensure rural communities are prioritised if we are going to grow the economy post-Covid-19 and build back better.”