I recognise how important access to a reliable broadband connection is for my constituents and since I was elected in 2015, I have campaigned to ensure that the whole of the constituency can access superfast broadband (defined as speeds of over 24mbps). In particular, I have worked with Openreach and the government-funded Connecting Cambridgeshire programme to eliminate broadband not spots, and it is encouraging that 97% of my constituency can now access such speeds.
Clearly, though, there remains more to be done, and there is now a focus on prioritising investment in gigabit-capable broadband. The Government is working with industry to target a minimum of 85% gigabit-capable coverage by 2025, with the ambition to accelerate roll-out further to get as close to 100% as possible. Currently, the UK-wide figure for Gigabit-capable coverage is 72%, whereas in South East Cambridgeshire it is 65%. I am, therefore, pleased that Cambridgeshire will be among the first areas in the country to benefit from the Government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit scheme bringing gigabit speeds to harder to reach areas, with rollout of improvements due to start under this scheme early next year to properties which are not due to be covered commercially over the next two years. In March 2023, CityFibre were awarded a £69m contract by the Government to upgrade 45,000 homes across Cambridgeshire, including many in my constituency.
If you are experiencing problems with your mobile reception or broadband please do email me at [email protected] and please include the postcode and network provider, where relevant, for the area in question.