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Ian Lucas says govt facing a challenge with broadband plans
The government is some way off achieving its targets for broadband access, according to Ian Lucas MP.
The telecoms regulator published the chart - the first of its kind - last week, revealing that just over two-thirds of properties have a fixed broadband connection, with the average speed standing at 7.5Mbps.
Some 58 per cent of addresses can receive a super-fast broadband service, but one in seven can only access speeds of less than 2Mbps.
Chief executive of Ofcom Ed Richards expressed his hope that the publication will "stimulate further rollout of broadband infrastructure and better performance for households and businesses".
Commenting on the map, shadow business minister Mr Lucas said it illustrates the "scale of the challenge" facing the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition if it hopes to fulfil its target of achieving the best super-fast broadband network in Europe.
"The government does not have enough money to provide the levels of broadband that are going to be required," he was quoted by This Is Somerset as saying. "What will happen is if there is not an adequate service provided, businesses will move out to areas where it is faster, making the balance of the economy even worse."
Counties across the West Country generally fared poorly in the Ofcom study, with Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Herefordshire named as some of the worst locations in the UK in terms of broadband speeds and provision.
However, other parts of the region performed well, with Bristol ranked as the UK city with the second-highest average broadband speed at 9.9Mbps, just behind first-placed Edinburgh with 10.1Mbps.
Bristol and Edinburgh also had the lowest percentage of properties receiving speeds of less than 2Mbps, at 4.5 per cent.
And with Herefordshire picked as one of the government's first rural super-fast broadband trial sites, residents and businesses can look forward to receiving improved speeds in the not-too-distant future.