Aylesbury MP supports Government's new £5 billion broadband project

Aylesbury MP Rob Butler has welcomed the Government's latest fast broadband project which was announced yesterday (August 2).

Project Gigabit is a £5 billion programme designed to improve internet speeds in hard to reach rural areas, including more sparsely populated parts of Bucks.

The Government released an updated summer plan for the project yesterday, after releasing the first phase of the broadband rollout in March.

The latest public documentation shows between £140 million and £237 million will be spent on non commercial premises in Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and East of Berkshire as part of the programme.

Mr Butler said: “The coronavirus crisis has shown how important internet connectivity is for day-to-day life, whether you are a student studying remotely or a small business taking advantage of new and emerging markets across the world.

“Everyone should be able to benefit from lightning-fast broadband connections, regardless of whether they’re based in the centre of Aylesbury or the edge of Bledlow Ridge. So, I’m delighted the Conservative Government is investing £5 billion as part of Project Gigabit. This will bring speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second to 142,000 rural homes and businesses in Buckinghamshire as well as the nearby areas of Hertfordshire and East of Berkshire. That’s fast enough to download an HD movie in less than 30 seconds”

The current estimated start date for the rollout in Bucks' region is April 2023.

Digital secretary Oliver Dowden added: “Project Gigabit is our national mission to level up rural areas by giving them the fastest internet speeds on the market.

“Millions more rural homes and businesses will now be lifted out of the digital slow lane thanks to our mammoth £5 billion investment and one of the quickest rollouts in Europe.

“This broadband revolution will create jobs, power up businesses and allow everyone to access vital services at lightning-fast speed, helping us build back better from the pandemic.”