2025 broadband target unlikely to be met, say MPs

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has warned the government that it risks failing to meet its revised-down target for gigabit-capable broadband in the face of considerable challenges to infrastructure roll-out.

An inquiry found little confidence that nationwide gigabit-capable broadband by 2025 could be delivered and ‘no genuine belief’ within the sector that it was achievable. Since the inquiry was conducted, despite reassurances, the government has abandoned its commitment to nationwide gigabit-capable broadband by 2025, aiming instead for 85 per cent coverage by that date.

The committee’s report says it would not be acceptable having abandoned one unrealistic target, for the government to fail to meet a second less ambitious target through lack of effective planning or inadequate investment. MPs also flagged concerns that only 25 per cent of the government’s £5 billion to support roll-out to the hardest-to-reach premises will be made available during this period.

Julian Knight, chair of the committee, said: “The government’s decision to abandon its 2025 gigabit-capable broadband target within weeks of Ministers reassuring us of their commitment to it was a belated recognition that it was unrealistic and unachievable, underlining concerns we’d heard from industry.

“Valuable time has been lost, making meeting even the revised-down target a major challenge. On 5G, the government’s target to deliver to the majority of the population, rather than the majority of the country, risks repeating the same errors that led to mobile ‘not-spots’ with investors cherry-picking areas of high population and leaving people in remote rural areas without a hope.”