Recommendation 16

The Department told us that it wanted to have very clear objectives and to be clear about the benefits for the subsidised part of its gigabit programme but could offer no further detail on how it intends to design and conduct the evaluation of that programme.40 The 31 C&AG’s Report, paras 3.11–12 32 Qq 126, 146–147 33 IBB0003 - Local Government Association 34 Qq 127–132 35 C&AG’s Report, para 3.12 36 Qq 133–136 37 C&AG’s Report, para 13 38 Q 81 39 Q 81 40 Qq 153, 156 12 Improving Broadband Department has, once again, set nationwide coverage targets for its gigabit programme; originally 100% and now 85%,41 and the Department is once again relying on industry to deliver most of it; in this case to 80% of UK premises.42 As yet, it has published no targets specific to its £5 billion subsidy programme such as the number of premises it aims to cover by when. The Department acknowledged that it was better to have control over all the levers but said that it had demonstrated its ability to have influence over the market when it achieved the nationwide target for superfast broadband.43 The Department told us that relying on commercial roll-out does not necessarily mean that they cannot achieve these kinds of targets.44