Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an estimate of the amount of financial provision required to affect the level of competition between broadband providers by means of the broadband investment fund announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Greg Hands

The Spending Review and Autumn Statement announced that the government will investigate the feasibility of setting up a new broadband investment fund, to be supported by both public and private investors, and managed by the private sector on a commercial basis.

Access to cost effective, commercial finance is critical for any business to grow and expand. The government will hold discussions with industry participants to determine whether enhancing access to finance through a dedicated, commercial investment fund could help support the growth of alternative network developers in the broadband market. Decisions on the feasibility and size of the fund will be made following this market engagement.