On Thursday 2nd June at the Suffolk Show, Jo Churchill MP met with representatives of BT Openreach, the National Farming Union (NFU), county councillors and local farmers to discuss the challenges of rural broadband roll-out to Suffolk. The meeting intended to bring together all sides from industry experts, local leaders and businesses within the community to address the issue of delivering sufficient broadband coverage, to rural areas affect by poor connectivity. Following the meeting, Jo Churchill MP said: “It is my priority to deliver broadband to the 20% of households across my constituency, still struggling for connectivity. The diversity of the just under 10,000 rural homes without broadband requires a more innovative approach, which is why I was keen to bring together representatives from the industry, the community and local leaders to develop a collaborative approach. I have argued before and maintain that broadband is the fourth utility. This meeting has been seeking solutions and considering what options are available to deliver local broadband to homes. I am determined to ensure my constituents can access sufficient broadband and I have relayed the initial conclusions of this meeting to the Minister, in support of the Government’s intention to deliver 100% connectivity to the UK by 2020. Continuing my efforts, I look forward to hosting BT Openreach in a series of meetings and site visits throughout the smaller villages in my constituency.”
