Data reveals that nearly one in twenty people across the Chew Valley, Bishop Sutton & East Harptree are unable to receive decent broadband.
In contrast across England as a whole 99.4% of homes and businesses meet the Universal Service Obligation – able to receive 10 Mbps download speed or 1 Mbps upload speed, which Ofcom regards as necessary components of ‘decent broadband’.
There is no doubt that broadband is an essential part of day to day life, and the pandemic has accelerated this, yet there was no mention of rural broadband in the Chancellor’s budget speech last week.
Metro Mayor candidate Dan Norris said: “Whether it is businesses finding using the latest technology difficult, creating educational setbacks or the inability to stream TV, poor broadband is holding our area back.”
If elected Mr Norris has pledged to commission a review into digital connectivity, identifying areas with poor internet coverage and creating a plan for rapid broadband rollout; work with local schools to invest in better technology, such as laptops for students and to provide training for the elderly population to learn digital skills.
Time for Chew Valley to get connected
