PEOPLE living in remote areas could be left with slow broadband for years to come due to a “litany of planning and implementation failures” within Government, a group of MPs has warned.

The Public Accounts Committee criticised the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for not being prepared to admit sooner it would not meet a Conservative election pledge of gigabit broadband connectivity across the entire country by 2025.

It was not until the November 2020 Spending Review that the Government revealed it was rowing back on the target, aiming for at least 85 per cent instead.

That original target was “unachievable”, MPs said in their Improving Broadband report, calling for a “clear timeline” of what activities the department intends to complete and by when.

“We are increasingly concerned that those in rural areas may have to pay more and may reach gigabit broadband speeds late,” the report stated.

“Given the impact of Covid-19, the department must do more to protect those with limited access to the internet.

“We remain unconvinced that if and when rural users finally do get gigabit broadband, they will enjoy the same choice of service provider and the same protections as their urban counterparts.”

The committee is concerned that a reduced target of 85 per cent will still be challenging to meet.

They also called out the Government for not allocating three-quarters of the £5 billion allocation to rollout gigabit broadband until after 2024-25.

Meanwhile, it accused the department of being “vague” about the potential costs and delays from removing telecommunications equipment supplied by Huawei, which must be stripped from the UK’s 5G network by 2027 due to security risks.

North-West Durham MP Richard Holden, who is on the Public Accounts Committee, said: “Without a rapid change in the way they are operating they are not going to get where they need to be. It is going to require a Herculean effort on behalf of the department.

“The key issue that came up is they need to skates on for the contracts for the 20 per cent of the country that are not commercially viable.

“One of the biggest complaints I get from rural businesses is broadband access. It is not just for working, but for entertainment and a way of keeping in touch with loved ones.”