Robert Largan column: ​Project Gigabit is helping us to tackle broadband blackspots

know first hand just how frustrating and limiting poor coverage can be, especially in the more remote rural areas of the Peak District.

I’m pleased to say that we are continuing to make really good progress. This is largely due to Project Gigabit, the Government’s flagship £5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband.

This year, a record £714 million has been committed to boosting rural broadband coverage, with nearly 380,000 homes and businesses across the UK set to benefit from the contracts awarded this year alone. Nearly 82 per cent of properties across the country can now access lightning-fast broadband, up from just seven per cent this time five years ago.

Over one million rural homes, businesses and public buildings have already been upgraded to gigabit-capable networks thanks to UK Government investment.

Since this point last year, Gigabit coverage across the High Peak has increased from just nine per cent all the way to 42 per cent.

That’s 13,860 more local homes that have access to Gigabit. Similarly, Ultrafast coverage has gone from 14.8 per cent to 44.9 per cent. As significant as these improvements are, I want to push for even better coverage, to make sure that the High Peak doesn’t get left behind other areas.

To make sure this progress doesn’t slow down, a new £10.7 million contract began this April for FullFibre to provide around 4,400 hard-to-reach premises across areas of the Peak District within Derbyshire with access to gigabit-capable broadband.

FullFibre are currently validating the properties that will benefit from the funding, with the first properties under this contract due to be ready for service by September 2025.

I know we’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m pleased that under this Government, the High Peak is being prioritised for investment in our digital infrastructure.