Rural firms without broadband access cannot afford to wait another four years for a fast and reliable internet connection, the County Land & Business Association (CLA) in Wales has said.

The UK government has pledged to invest £56.9 million to deliver super-fast broadband to 90 per cent of properties in Wales, while extending minimum speeds of 2Mbps to all remaining homes and businesses.

Speaking to Farmers Weekly Interactive, CLA Wales director Ben Underwood expressed his delight at the commitment to improving broadband provision.

However, he insisted the priority should be to bring the technology to areas that currently have poor or non-existent broadband, rather than concentrating on upgrading premises that already have a high standard of connectivity.

The target of 2015 is not good enough for anyone in a not-spot area trying to run a business, or for parents whose children need fast broadband to socialise and study, Mr Underwood stated.

He added: "Broadband is an essential tool to help UK businesses recover from the current economic crisis and rural businesses in Wales are at an unnecessary disadvantage if they cannot access an adequate broadband service."

Mr Underwood called on the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) to target parts of the country that are most urgently in need of "what has become a basic service", instead of getting carried away with "sexy headline speeds".

Earlier this month, the CLA Wales boss told the Welsh Affairs Committee in Westminster that while the WAG's plans to roll out 30Mbps broadband to all businesses by 2016 is "commendable", it may also prove unattainable.

All parts of the country should be guaranteed minimum speeds of 2Mbps before higher download capabilities are promised in other locations, he argued.

Mr Underwood added CLA Wales is keen to work with the WAG to promote its Broadband Enabling Scheme in order to ensure "a better provision in the areas most affected by slow broadband speeds". 

Add a comment

Comment

Your name

Your e-mail address

Comments (0)