Today, Alicia Kearns welcomed Openreach's announcement that 11,778 premises in Rutland and Melton, throughout Cottesmore, North Luffenham, and Oakham will be upgraded to full fibre broadband.

Three exchanges will be built to cover these areas, as part of a massive nationwide effort to achieving the UK's target of 'gigabit capable broadband' to 85 percent of the UK by 2025.

This effort will be bolstered by a further 1,000 roles being created in 2021, on top of the 2,500 jobs announced in December 2020. This includes 140 jobs in the East Midlands.

Alicia Kearns, MP for Rutland and Melton said: "I promised to fight for better broadband, so I am delighted that Openreach has made this commitment to the people of Rutland.

"Rural areas like ours need and deserve the broadband that keep us connected to the UK and the world, especially as more of us work from home. Full fibre boosts growth, brings job opportunities and will help us recover from this pandemic.

"Rural areas like Rutland and Melton are too often forgotten, but initiatives liked this, backed by Government targets, show that this Government is committed to our rural areas and to levelling up every corner of our great country.

"My next step will be to ensure that even more of Rutland and Melton has access to broadband and full fibre, and I am working particularly hard to bring better connectivity and opportunity to the Vale of Belvoir, which has waited for broadband investment for too long. This is an excellent first step, and I hope to build on this momentum for every corner of our communities."

Kasam Hussain, Openreach's regional director for the East Midlands, said:

"Building a new Ultrafast broadband network across the East Midlands is a massive challenge and some parts of the region will inevitably require public funding.

"But our expanded build plan means taxpayer subsidies can be limited to only the hardest to connect homes and businesses. And with investments from other network builders, we'd hope to see that shrink further.

"This is a hugely complex, nationwide engineering project. It will help level-up the UK because the impact of Full Fibre broadband stretches from increased economic prosperity and international competitiveness, to higher employment and environmental benefits.

"We're also delighted to continue bucking the national trend by creating more jobs in the region, with apprentices joining in their droves to start their careers as engineers.

"We'll publish further location details and timescales on our website as the detailed surveys and planning are completed and the build progresses. In the meantime, don't forget that you can also check what's already available, which includes the tens of thousands of homes and businesses across the East Midlands that can already access Full Fibre."