Building a full fibre Britain
Minister for Digital Matt Hancock's speech to the Broadband
I often meet interesting people in my job. But there's one serious frustration. And that is, just as I'm talking to them about the many fascinating things they do, instead they want to badger me about their broadband. Every day.
This problem reached its zenith just last week when I met Tim Peake, Britain's inspirational astronaut, and he collared me about the broadband on his space station.
Tim, for next time you're up there, I'm sure one of our ambitious Altnets can help.
The Connectivity Index also predicts that, as these amazing digital technologies advance, our advantage will drive future economic growth. That's one economic forecast I am prepared to make.
But we can always, always do better.
Over the past year we have published both our Digital Strategy and published our 5G strategy.
We have agreed on the separation of BT and Openreach.
Virgin Media continues at pace with the rollout of Project Lightning bringing ultrafast speeds to more and more of the country.
KCOM are also doing their part and are on track to cover 150,000 premises with their Lightstream Project in Hull.
We have seen record levels of investment into the altnets, including £500 million from Cityfibre and £200 million from Hyperoptic.
Openreach has established its independent board and declared its clear direction in the pursuit of the full fibre future.
We have published proposals for the USO.
We have secured over a billion pounds more of taxpayers' money for next generation technologies and we have introduced rate relief for putting new fibre into the ground.
So we have been busy.
I think this effort demonstrates beyond any doubt the UK Government's commitment to a full fibre and 5G future. We are guided by our mission to deliver full connectivity where people live, work, and travel.
I said a year ago that "I will be on the side of the challenger, helping in every way I can to deliver fair competition and a level playing field."
I meant it then, I mean it now.
And I'm delighted the Altnets are going from strength to strength.
But before I set out our next steps on delivering full fibre and 5G, let's turn first to progress on the current technology of fibre to the cabinet or, as it might better be known, copper-to-the-premise.
We have invested £1.7bn of UK taxpayers' money in delivering superfast broadband. For today's needs, it delivers what an average household wants.
Reaching 95% by the end of the year is a very important milestone, and not least with the over £600m of funding from claw-back in the existing BDUK contacts, we hope to go further.
Like the CTTP roll out, this is a mixed-economy approach: with some taxpayers' funding, but the majority of funding from the market.
First, we are helping to level the playing field by supporting insurgent altnets reach their fibre ambitions through the Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund, which will improve access to commercial finance.
Next, we are investing £200m to fund locally-led projects across the UK. This "Local Full Fibre Networks" programme aims to provide the fastest and most reliable broadband available.
Working with providers and local bodies we have shaped a programme focused on improving the business case for the private sector to invest in fibre networks, and to connect even more homes and businesses.
The Local Full Fibre Network project involves upgrading connections into public buildings with fibre, providing gigabit connection vouchers to increase business take-up; and improving access upgrades to publicly-owned infrastructure. And we're working with Network Rail and others to open up existing fibre, and roll out new fibre down train lines. This rail project is incredibly important and we welcome approaches from industry on how to get connectivity down our railways.
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