Tech Industry: What You Need to Know Right Now
By Saghir Hussain ·
Urgent: The UK government has announced a £2bn broadband expansion programme to close the digital gap in rural England and Scotland, but the plan is already drawing fire for slow rollout and high costs.
The scheme, unveiled by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) on 12 April 2024, aims to bring superfast broadband to an estimated 1.5 million premises. “This funding will bring life‑changing connectivity to communities that have been left behind,” said Digital Secretary Julia Lopez in the official statement. The government hopes the upgrade will level the playing field for small businesses that currently struggle with unreliable service.
Rural Connectivity Boost
According to Ofcom’s July 2024 coverage report, 2.4 million UK premises still lack superfast broadband (speeds of 30 Mbps or more). “Our data shows a persistent urban‑rural divide that is holding back economic growth,” said Ofcom chief executive Melanie Dawes. The