Report by Duncan Williams for Pulman's Weekly News
Politicians and community leaders in Devon are pressing the government to deliver a long-term rural broadband strategy, warning that thousands of homes could otherwise be left behind when current support schemes end.
A joint letter signed by Devon MPs and senior figures from organisations across the county urges ministers to put plans in place for hard-to-reach rural areas once existing funding programmes come to a close.
The letter was written by Devon County Council’s cabinet member for rural affairs and broadband, Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin (Liberal Democrat, Torrington Rural), and South Devon MP Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat).
They warn that although the Gigabit Project Voucher Scheme has been relaunched, it is due to end in early 2028. They say that after this point “there will be no national programme supporting rural connectivity in rural areas, leaving many hard-to-reach premises with no hope of improved connectivity”.
They added: “At a time when the national target of 99 per cent gigabit connectivity is reached, there will be a higher percentage of properties falling into the remaining 1 per cent in Devon, where we estimate this will be closer to 7 per cent, or roughly 44,000 homes.”
The Gigabit Project Voucher Scheme was originally due to finish last year but has since been extended. It offers grants towards the cost of faster broadband connections in areas where commercial providers are unlikely to invest.
Cllr Cottle-Hunkin and Ms Voaden also argued that rural communities often have a greater need for reliable digital access, particularly as banks and Post Office branches continue to close and more services move online.
They said current national investment was widening the gap between well-served and poorly served areas.
“In Devon, the reality is that the vast majority of Project Gigabit funding is uplifting premises with reasonable connectivity to gigabit speeds at the expense of more rural premises with the slowest speeds and the greatest need,” the letter states.
“Specifically, 90 per cent of Project Gigabit delivery in Devon will cover premises already at superfast speeds, with only 10 per cent addressing those below 30 megabits per second (Mbps).
“This national investment is therefore widening the rural digital divide, not closing it.”
The letter adds that around 35,000 homes and businesses in Devon currently have speeds below 30 Mbps with “no commercial solution or investment from Project Gigabit”.
It continues: “At present, Building Digital UK has no mandate to even begin to address this challenge since it is a delivery body, charged with delivering against government policy.
“In the continuing absence of any government policy on the Very Hard to Reach Premises, there can be no budgetary allocation and thus no delivery plan.”
The pair have requested a meeting with ministers to discuss the creation of a national strategy for the hardest-to-reach properties.
They have also proposed Devon as a “national location to test, trial or pilot solutions, technologies and models for delivery of rural broadband solutions”.
Among those signing the letter were Edwina Bradshaw, independent chair of Citizens Advice Devon, Andrea Davis, chair of Exmoor National Park, and Will Dracup, chairman of Dartmoor National Park.
Six other Devon MPs also backed the call, including Liberal Democrat MPs Richard Foord (Honiton and Sidmouth) and Rachel Gilmour (Tiverton and Minehead), along with Conservative South West Devon MP Rebecca Smith.
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