10 December 2013
Working for a wider East Anglia Mobile and Broadband Campaign to tackle rural ‘broadband barrier’

At the first Norfolk Rural Broadband Summit on Friday, I pledged to raise the profile of the Mobile and Broadband Campaign. For too long rural areas like ours have been forgotten. Fast broadband and strong mobile coverage is not a luxury, it is a necessity for our region.

Following the summit I have called for:
 

  • A stronger high profile campaign across the whole of East Anglia - developing on the EDP Let’s Get Connected campaign

  • To lobby for a slice of the extra funding announced last week for Rural Broadband for the hardest areas

  • To support local providers and dramatically increase roll-out of a voucher scheme – to directly put money in the hands of local communities

  • A regional pan-East Anglia Summit in the New Year



East Anglia’s economy is too important for us to sit in silence and wait for the promised roll-out. We need to empower grass-roots businesses – the driving force behind local jobs and services – to help break the broadband barrier. That is why I will be holding a pan-Anglia Broadband event in the New Year and feel that the solution to unlocking the final mile of broadband provision may well be through the use of vouchers to give people the option of funding alternative schemes.

At the Summit attended by 100 local residents and businesses who are struggling with their broadband and fed up with low speeds we heard:
 

  • A detailed update from BT and BDUK on the roll out plans for the region:
    • By 2015 100% of Norfolk will have a minimum speed of 2mbps

    • By 2015 83% of the region will receive 24mbps

  • Updates on the alternative local broadband providers that are available today from companies like: Rural Broadband, ItSwisp and WiSpire