Senior MPs and the NFU have urged the government to speed up its efforts in improving broadband connectivity in rural areas.

Publishing its assessment of Defra’s progress over the past year last week, the EFRA select committee which oversees the department’s work, said the lack of action on improving broadband connectivity in rural areas is hampering the countryside economy.

The subsidised super-fast broadband roll-out, which was intended to bring faster internet connectivity to more isolated parts of the country where companies wouldn’t otherwise invest in the infrastructure, was originally planned for 2015.

However, the government faced heavy criticism over its handling of the tendering process which eventually saw BT emerge as the sole contract holder, failing to secure better transparency commitments from BT and overspending on the scheme. The government was criticised earlier this year for its “premature” move to ‘digital by default’ record keeping for the 2015 BPS scheme despite the fact that many in the countryside lack adequate internet connection.

The scheme is now expected to be delivered in 2017.  

In their assessment, EFRA Committee MPs recommended the government focus on improving broadband infrastructure, which they said is “Crucial to reducing the productivity gap between urban and rural areas.”

Neil Parish MP commented, "Businesses everywhere need fast broadband, but a lack of effective internet and mobile phone connectivity is hampering economic growth in some rural parts of the country.” He said, “Defra must champion the needs of rural communities and businesses more vigorously. Any new Universal Service Obligation must deliver affordable connections at sufficient speeds to all areas of the country."

Government scheme could help those in ‘not-spots’

On Monday, the NFU said government measures to improve rural broadband could help farming communities but union officials urged for more action to bring remote parts of the country up to speed.
 
The new discounted satellite broadband scheme is being offered under the Government’s Universal Service Obligation (USO) - the government hopes to deliver superfast broadband to 95 per cent of homes and businesses by 2017, and to give everyone the legal right to broadband of speeds of 10 Mbit/s by 2020.
 
Vouchers for the scheme are only currently available online, which may pose problems for those with no internet access. An online tool is available to check whether the Government’s BDUK Satellite Voucher Scheme has been launched in an area. If the postcode is eligible then the user is redirected to a link for a guidance document that outlines how to apply for the scheme.
 
On Monday, NFU Vice President Guy Smith commented, “We have been doing extensive work with our members to find out how the lack of mobile and broadband services affects their businesses. Although we welcome the Government’s announcement to roll out subsidised satellite broadband vouchers to help some 300,000 of the most remote homes and businesses to access at least 2 Mbit/s of broadband connectivity, we are not convinced it will be able to meet its targets, especially given the number of people who will be excluded if they cannot meet the strict criteria. We also know satellite does not work that well for everyone.”
 
“We understand the Welsh Government has just announced a far more generous voucher scheme, which is easier to qualify for, and which allows access to a number of broadband technologies,” he said.
 
Mr Smith added, “The recent failure at the launch of the Basic Payment Scheme, which was originally only available online, also highlighted that 2 Mbit/s as a minimum speed is outdated and that significant investment in rural broadband is needed. A reliable mobile phone signal and broadband connection across farm can lead to significant efficiency gains as well as improving health and safety and offer better access to information and services.”