Central Ayrshire MP criticises unspecific broadband plans

Tuesday, June 14th 2011
Brian Donohoe MP is keen for culture secretary Jeremy Hunt to clarify the government's broadband plans.
Central Ayrshire MP criticises unspecific broadband plans
Central Ayrshire MP Brian Donohoe has hit out at a government announcement regarding future funding to improve broadband speeds for not being "specific".

In a round-robin letter sent at the end of last month, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt revealed the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition is set to make financial support available to every council in the country over the coming weeks.

"Rather than run any more competitions for pilots or projects, I intend by July to announce the allocation for every English local authority," he explained.

However, Mr Hunt stopped short of giving any concrete information regarding the levels of funding that will be allocated to each part of the country - an omission that has drawn criticism from Mr Donohoe.

According to the Irvine Herald, the Labour politician said he will question the culture secretary about the way broadband cash will be handed out in Scotland, as well as demand "more specific" details about the process.

The MP stated he received the round-robin correspondence and is keen to get to the bottom of Mr Hunt's proposals.

He commented: "The letter was not specific enough, only stating that allocations will be made available once the department has reached agreement with them on other sources of funds and their plans for delivery."

Mr Donohoe, who in recent years has been a vocal campaigner for a better standard of internet access in his constituency, went on to reveal he is eager for local councils and the Scottish administration to continue working with Broadband Delivery UK.

The body, which was created by the government as a vehicle to help achieve its targets on broadband speeds and coverage, is responsible for handing out £530 million of public money to help improve the country's web infrastructure.

Under the coalition's plans for the technology, the UK will have the best super-fast broadband network in Europe by the end of the current parliament.

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