AN influential committee of MPs has launched an inquiry into rural broadband coverage.

The inquiry by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee follows concern that rural communities will miss out amid a government target to provide most areas with superfast broadband.

The government aims ensure that superfast broadband is available to 95% of UK premises with universal access to a standard broadband speed of at least 2Mbps by 2017.

The cross-party committee of MPs will examine the current broadband coverage in rural areas and the new digital?only services.

They will also look at the "assisted digital" support being offered for farm businesses who need to access government online services but can't.

The committee is inviting stakeholders and interested parties to submit written evidence about the extent of broadband coverage in hardest to reach rural areas.

It is also inviting written evidence on digital access and experience of the government's digital-only programmes relating to the Common Agricultural Policy.

Written submissions for this inquiry should be submitted via the rural broadband and digital-only services inquiry page on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website.

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 19 November 2014.

As a guideline submissions should state clearly who the submission is from e.g. 'Written evidence submitted by XXXX' and be no longer than 3000 words.

Submissions must be a self-contained memorandum in Word or Rich Text Format (not pdfs), include numbered paragraphs for ease of reference and an executive summary if possible.

Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere.

For full details, click here.