On Saturday 23rd January, Jo Churchill MP co-signed a new report from the British Infrastructure Group of MPs (BIG), which revealed a staggering 5.7 million customers cannot access sufficient internet across the UK.
The report titled Broadbad calls on the regulator Ofcom to take action over the ‘natural monopoly’ of BT Openreach. The comprehensive report which details connection speeds in every part of the country argues that, given the reliance of our economy on the internet, it is inconceivable BT continues to underserve significant areas of the country.
Speaking about the report, Mrs Churchill said: “With £1.7 billion of taxpayers money invested into delivering high speed broadband across the UK, it is unacceptable that many residents across the UK cannot access even a basic internet connection of 10 Megabits per second (Mbps) and around 5% of customers will be without high speed broadband by 2020.
My own constituency currently receives 23% high speed coverage and by 2020, still 20% of Bury St Edmunds will be without this coverage. Residents should expect access to high speed internet irrespective of where they live. The use of outdated copper technology from BT Openreach is insufficient in deliver connectivity and offers no hope of a long term plan for UK digital innovation. By contributing to this report, I want to see the regulator Ofcom work to redress the efficacy of BT Openreach’s service which up till now, leaves the majority of my constituents without high speed connection and a number without a connection at all.”
Mrs Churchill also added her name to an open letter published in the Daily Telegraph by 121 MPs from across the House, calling for Ofcom to act.
