MPs complain over full fibre broadband rollout

2 hours ago

Paul RogersLocal Democracy Reporting Service

Stuart Anderson met government minister Liz Lloyd to discuss broadband speeds in the county

South Shropshire Conservatives A woman with blonde hair and a cream jacket standing next to a man with short brown hair, a dark jacket and blue tie with a pale blue sign behind them — Stuart Anderson met government minister Liz Lloyd to discuss broadband speeds in the county

Two Shropshire MPs have complained the county is not getting full fibre broadband quickly enough.

Helen Morgan, who represents North Shropshire, said her constituents "were promised full fibre broadband by the end of this year, and instead they have been left with years of uncertainty, delays and shifting goalposts".

Stuart Anderson, the MP for South Shropshire, said the county was being "neglected".

Shropshire Council said it was "one of the best-connected rural authorities in the UK" and 99.6% of premises had access to superfast broadband.

The council said the government's Project Gigabit programme had enabled about 3,400 "hard to reach homes and businesses" to be connected to full fibre broadband, with an additional 22,000 projected to be helped by 2030.

"We recognise that there is more to do on internet speeds and mobile connectivity, but it is an improving picture," it said.

The Project Gigabit programme stalled after previous contractor Freedom Fibre, withdrew from the scheme.

As a result, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said more than 8,700 premises would be added to an Openreach contract, which already covered other parts of Shropshire.

'Back of the queue'

Morgan stated: "Rolling these connections into an inferior Openreach contract risks pushing rural communities to the back of the queue yet again.

"Families and businesses who were promised fast, reliable broadband are now facing the prospect of waiting far longer."

Openreach said it had already delivered full fibre to more than 175,000 homes and businesss across Shropshire, including 71% in north Shropshire.

Anderson, who recently met with Broadband Minister Liz Lloyd to discuss his concerns, said he was promised "Shropshire would not be left behind in the rollout of reliable broadband".

But he said: "The latest figures show that Shropshire is already being neglected."

Anderson also noted the government's timeline for getting 99% of homes and businesses connected to lightning-fast gigabit capable broadband had slipped from 2030 to 2032.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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