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Minister considers law to ensure new build homes have high-speed internet

Jeremy Wright said: “It is important that we don’t build new houses without decent quality broadband connections.”
Jeremy Wright said: “It is important that we don’t build new houses without decent quality broadband connections.” Jeremy Wright said: “It is important that we don’t build new houses without decent quality broadband connections.”

Legislation could be introduced to ensure new housing developments have high-speed internet access, the Culture Secretary has suggested.

Jeremy Wright said he wanted to look at measures the Government could adopt so new houses are not built without “decent quality” broadband connections.

He told MPs he would consider “legislative measures if necessary”.

Mr Wright made the comments in response to concerns raised by Labour’s Caroline Flint, who said almost a third of her Don Valley constituency suffers from “very slow access or no access at all”.

She told the Commons during Digital, Culture, Media and Sport questions: “Teachers call me about they can’t mark homework at night, young people buying new housing on a new housing development find that they are not connected to fibre broadband.”

Mr Wright replied: “First of all people are coming to expect that they will have good quality broadband connections and they have a right to expect that because there are many areas of activity that need to be carried out now online.

“And the second point she makes is around new builds: it is important that we don’t build new houses without decent quality broadband connections or the capacity to make those.

“And she will understand that I want to look carefully at what measures the Government might be able to take, up to and including legislative measures if necessary.”