07/04/2026
Here's a letter I'm tempted to send to our local MP:
Dear Jon
I trust this correspondence finds you well and not unduly burdened by the manifold complexities attendant upon the ongoing evolution of national digital infrastructure policy.
I venture to trouble you with a matter of some modest local significance, namely the present and prospective state of broadband provision within the town of Belper, a community of approximately 15,000 inhabitants which, while not without certain infrastructural advantages, appears to occupy an ambiguous position within current deployment frameworks.
It would seem that, notwithstanding the existence of an FTTP-enabled exchange and the absence of any insurmountable physical or legal impediments — indeed, existing wayleave arrangements being already in place — a number of properties, including my own business premises, continue to rely upon legacy copper-based solutions.
Until recently, this situation was rendered tolerable through the coexistence of FTTC and G.fast services. However, I am given to understand that the latter technology is no longer actively supported, thereby introducing a degree of uncertainty as to the continuity of service provision at previously attainable performance levels.
One might further observe that a succession of prospective infrastructure initiatives — variously associated with Gigaclear, Fibre Heroes, and Virgin Media — have, for reasons which doubtless reflect the inherent complexities of such undertakings, not proceeded to fruition. Meanwhile, projected timelines from Openreach appear to extend into the latter part of the decade.
It may also be of passing interest that official data sources presently indicate that my property is already served by full fibre, a characterisation which, while encouraging in principle, does not appear to correspond with empirical reality. This raises the intriguing possibility that certain premises may, through no deliberate design, find themselves classified in a manner which inadvertently precludes their prioritisation for future deployment.
In such circumstances, one might cautiously suggest that there could be merit in considering whether mechanisms exist — or might usefully be developed — to identify and record properties whose service status may not be accurately reflected in current datasets, thereby ensuring that policy implementation aligns more closely with on-the-ground conditions.
I would, of course, entirely understand if this matter falls within the purview of other departments or ongoing reviews, and I should be most grateful for any clarification you are able to provide.
Yours sincerely,
