Mr. Peter Hendrick:

Under the contract, we have to commit to a service that has a minimum speed and service-level agreement. Equally, we must commit to supporting that service for 25 years with speeds and service availability. In doing so, it is not easy to leverage anyone else's network. We have to provide a future-proofed service. Do not get me wrong - I appreciate and understand the frustration felt by those caught in the gaps. Under the way we will roll out our design and build programme, they will be some of the first people to have access to the national broadband network.