In a bid to speed up Project Gigabit, the government is giving Building Digital UK (BDUK) more operational autonomy as an Executive Agency of the department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The move will restructure BDUK to expand operations and bring the agency closer to the communities it is working in. This will include a move to central Manchester.
DCMS ministers will retain control over BDUK and its broadband rollout, but the agency will have a new corporate governance structure, including a new board.
Its new board will incorporate a non-executive chair, executive members and non-executive members to add an extra layer of scrutiny.
Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said: “We are giving BDUK greater freedom and flexibility to ramp up rollout and expand its operations to create new jobs, boost economic growth and level up communities in need.”