Neil Carmichael - MP for Stroud

Broad coalition for broadband

Neil Carmichael chaired a meeting of Gloucestershire MPs last week to discuss the need for better internet provision across the County. Meeting in Gloucester, they talked about issues facing small business and members of rural communities who lack adequate access to broadband. The group also included representatives of BT who were able to provide some advice on how this process can take place.

The message from the meeting is that BT's current commercial roll-out of super-fast fibre broadband will reach around two thirds of the UK and that public/private partnerships will be needed to reach the final third. In our constituency we are due network upgrades in Nailsworth, Stroud and Hardwicke but this will still leave large areas both in need of, and wanting high speed copper or fibre broadband services.

Neil said;
"As I have always said, broadband will boost business, encourage carbon efficient home working and increase independent living. Therefore, it is not right that some members of this constituency struggle to get 1 Mbs - we need a major upgrade. This is why the work of Gloucestershire First and the Gloucestershire MPs is so important. We need to demonstrate which areas need help and why they need help.

The meeting itself was to enable a co-ordination of strategy across the whole of the County and help support the work of Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucestershire First who are in the process of contracting a pilot project to help understand how Superfast Fibre Broadband can made available. In order to receive the best possible outcome, Parish Councils, businesses and individuals need to signal their demand for superfast services, in order to stimulate the necessary upgrades to local exchanges and cabling.

Martin Horwood, MP for Cheltenham, said;
"I'm delighted that Cheltenham is going to be in the first wave of superfast broadband. This is good news for Cheltenham business and residents. But we don't want the rest of Gloucestershire left behind. Thousands of local people live in one area and work in another and we don't want a patchwork service. The campaign needs to start now for a 21st Century broadband service right across the county."

It is critical for the future development of broadband in the County, that Gloucestershire demonstrates a powerful case to ensure that the full width and length of the County receives a service capable of up to 20 Mbs over existing copper lines, and eventually access to a superfast fibre broadband services capable of up to 40Mbs. To highlight the importance of this campaign, Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, is coming to Stroud on 15th September to meet with Neil Carmichael BT, GFirst, Business Groups and other key stakeholders ). The meeting will start at 7pm at the Imperial Hotel, Stroud.

Tags: Stroud East | Upton St. Leonards, Bisley and Painswick | Stroud West | Chalford | Berkeley Vale | Cam and Dursley | North Stroud | Rodborough | Stonehouse | Nailsworth and Minchinhampton

This entry was posted on 01 August 2011 at 11:14.