UK study highlights stark rural-urban broadband divide

Research by the University of Manchester has highlighted a significant digital divide in broadband coverage, accessibility, and speed across the United Kingdom, with notable differences between rural and urban regions.

According to the Ofcom's 2023 Connected Nations report, 97% of residential premises in the UK have access to superfast broadband offering at least 30 Mbit/s. Professor Cecilia Wong and Dr. Helen Zheng, in their latest article featured in the Policy@Manchester publication "On Infrastructure," provide further insight into these findings.

The researchers observed, "England, Scotland and Wales (55% or less) are lagging behind Northern Ireland (90% and over) in a major way in terms of gaining access to full fibre broadband, and the spatial divide is also witnessed in gigabit capable broadband."

They pointed out the urban and rural disparities by stating, "Our data also highlights major urban/rural differentials in England, Scotland and Wales: while 82% of residential premises in Northern Ireland's rural areas have access to full fibre/gigabit capable provision, the comparable figures for England, Wales and Scotland are at least halved."

The researchers attributed some of Northern Ireland's success in broadband accessibility to government-funded schemes, in part stemming from the confidence and supply agreement between the Democratic Unionist Party and the Conservatives following the 2017 general election.

Wong and Zheng stressed the UK government's primary role in broadband policy and coverage targets, despite the involvement of local authorities and devolved administrations in broadband infrastructure delivery.

They noted, "When examining the funding distribution of Building Digital UK (a UK government executive agency, responsible for bringing fast and reliable broadband and mobile coverage to hard-to-reach places across the UK) for superfast broadband development in 2020, it is clear that has been a strong spatial bias of government spending as 73% was for England but less than 10% for Wales."

The previous Conservative government pledged to enhance broadband for rural and coastal areas, a promise that Wong and Zheng indicated was "overambitious due to the lack of commitment of sufficient funding." The authors suggested, "With a new government, a place-based approach could award more powers to combined authority mayors, such as North Yorkshire and East Midlands, to make long-term strategies and prioritise investment. Empowering local planners, working in tandem with communities to remove red tape and designate where improved broadband infrastructure projects are prioritised, may be a key to unlocking crucial access for some rural and coastal areas."

The researchers warned about the adverse effects of a lack of clarity on government spending of taxpayers' money, stating this provided less incentive for industry investors. They argued, "A place-based approach, which tangibly shows the outcomes of investment in communities, could address this gap and encourage more local investment."

They concluded, "The dramatic turnaround of broadband provisions across urban and rural areas in Northern Ireland, however, serves as an exemplar (which government, civil service working with industry and Ofcom could use as a blueprint), demonstrating that things can be done if there is a political will and the backing of funding resources."