Countryside Alliance briefs MPs on rural broadband

The Rural Charter – the Countryside Alliance's manifesto for the 2024 General Election – called on all parties to deliver a connected countryside. We asked that the next government invest the finance needed to fund existing proposals to improve broadband for very hard to reach premises and ensure the Universal Service Obligation delivers connectivity to rural communities.

The absence of broadband infrastructure serving small firms threatens the expansion of the rural economy. The business opportunity includes 28% of all UK firms and over one million small businesses. With this in mind, the Countryside Alliance welcomes the Chancellor’s commitment in the Autumn Budget of over £500 million of continued investment in digital infrastructure through the Shared Rural Network and Project Gigabit.

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In a briefing note sent to MPs ahead of the debate on broadband in rural areas, the Countryside Alliance outlines key issues relating to the matter, evidence gathered by the Alliance as well as other parties - including a report issued by Vodafone in November 2023 - as well as the Alliance's overall position on the subject. 

The Countryside Alliance also supported the previous government’s proposal for policy interventions as outlined in its recent consultations on hard-to-reach premises and enhancing the Universal Service Obligation; we agreed that an alternative approach is required to ensure these premises can receive a gigabit-capable connection.

Any policy to deliver connectivity to hard-to-reach areas must be technology agnostic so that the most appropriate means of delivery can be used, at the most economic cost. However, we are concerned about funding. Although the government has secured funding for an initial grant programme for satellite interventions targeting some of these premises (per chapter 3 of the hard-to-reach consultation), it is unclear how the whole programme will be funded.

The Universal Service Obligation remains crucial in rural areas for ensuring equitable access to communication and information technologies. It helps bridge the digital divide, fostering economic development, education, and healthcare access in regions that might otherwise be underserved or excluded.

Successive governments have made policy decisions to deliver more services online to make savings. As such, it is only right and fair that everyone has access to broadband to enable them to engage in the digital world. Remote rural communities must not be penalised by paying an excessive connection charge to access basic services, as necessitated by the Government policy of digital by default.