More than three million UK homes risk being overlooked during the final and most difficult stage of the gigabit broadband rollout, according to the organisation representing Britain’s independent fibre networks. INCA wants Prime Minister Andy Burnham to appoint one minister with clear responsibility for getting the remaining properties connected.
The warning follows the government’s decision to scrap the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Its responsibilities are being divided between the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Cabinet Office.
INCA argues that broadband delivery, digital inclusion, network security and resilience are too closely connected to be scattered around government without somebody overseeing the whole job. For households, the danger is fairly simple: responsibility becomes unclear, decisions slow down and the people still waiting for decent broadband remain at the back of the queue.
Image credit: David Burr
Rural homes are still at the back of the queue when it comes to fast broadband
The hardest homes are still waiting for better broadband
Gigabit-capable broadband is now available to 91% of UK homes, but reaching the government’s 99% target by 2032 won’t be a case of carrying on at the same pace. Many of the remaining properties are scattered across rural areas where every connection costs more to build and commercial providers have less incentive to invest.
INCA says independent networks now pass 19.7 million premises, including almost 4.4 million in harder-to-reach areas. These smaller networks have given millions of households an alternative to Openreach and Virgin Media O2, while forcing the established networks to compete harder on coverage, speed, service and price.
The organisation wants the government to complete Project Gigabit and remove some of the obstacles delaying new networks. These include gaining permission to cross private land, getting fibre into blocks of flats and securing fair access to Openreach’s existing poles and underground ducts. None of that is especially exciting, but it directly affects how quickly you receive more broadband choice at your address.
