A new report published today has evaluated the economic impact of superfast broadband coverage in the UK, and found a growth of £9bn in turnover led by the technology.
The report by Ipsos Mori was commissioned by the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to evaluate the economic impact and public value of the country’s programme to increase superfast broadband coverage.
The programme was announced in 2011 with an aim to extend the UK’s superfast broadband coverage to 95% by the end of 2017, and the report covers the progress made from the launch of the project in 2012 to 2016.
What were the results of the report?
Among the key findings of the report was the revelation that the expansion superfast broadband coverage and the increased access this has resulted in have led businesses benefitting from the faster connections to experience a £9bn increase in turnover.
In terms of the broader economic impact, the programme has resulted in some 9,000 fewer individuals claiming jobseeker’s allowance, including a reduction of 2,500 in long-term claimants, thanks in part to the creation of 49,000 total jobs over the four-year period. In total, this means that the programme has delivered £12.28 for every £1 that the government and local authorities have invested.
How has the government responded to the success of the programme?
UK Minister for Digital, Margot James, emphasised that the programme is one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the country, and welcomed the success that it has so far achieved as equivalent in scale.
She explained: “Our rollout of superfast broadband across the UK has been the most challenging infrastructure project in a generation but is one of our greatest successes. We are reaching thousands more homes and businesses every week that can now reap the clear and tangible benefits that superfast broadband provides. We are helping to ensure the downfall of the digital divide.”
