5. Statement by the Leader of the House and Chief Whip: Broadband Update

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:21 pm on 23 October 2018.

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Photo of Bethan Sayed Bethan Sayed Plaid Cymru 4:21, 23 October 2018

Unlike Russell George and Julie James, I'm relatively new to this area now, so do bear with me, but I look forward to working with you on this particular area, leader of the house.

I note that in previous updates on superfast and connectivity, it's been pointed out that this is a market intervention, and I agree, actually, that it would be easier to make progress in this area of delivering wide-ranging coverage if broadband were treated more like a public utility. This is increasingly an absolute life and business necessity for many and is particularly necessary to ensure equality of opportunities in some of our least accessible places. I appreciate that much work remains to ensure wider coverage and accessibility, and I'm aware that there is a significant number of properties that remain without superfast access. I know that Russell George has gone into some of those questions, but I was wondering whether you could tell us a bit more about the numbers of properties that will remain without superfast access despite the new measures that you've announced today.

I think we have to have a discussion about how this can move on and be futureproofed as technology changes rapidly. In the debate earlier, we were talking about Welsh language and digital usage; we have to be looking to the future as to what we will need to put in in terms of infrastructure in 10, 15 or 20 years' time. Once a household has superfast, there is an expectation that this is then enough, but as families grow, as businesses' needs change and new trends emerge, the demand on internet usage also will go up. Are we planning to ensure that we have enough bandwidth to guarantee future access in terms of uploading, downloading and streaming, and if potential increases are needed in the future, how are you planning for this eventuality?

Finally, could you outline in more detail what discussions have been had with the UK Government over this issue and the wider problem of ensuring broad and universal access to broadband? You've said in the past that there is a strong argument that this should be treated like a public utility in the same way that water is. Has there been any movement in that regard with the UK Government and do you anticipate any further assistance from the UK Government in that vein?