Local Member of Parliament, Kate Kniveton, met with representatives from Draycott-in-the-Clay and Marchington Parish Councils on Friday 10th March to discuss internet speeds and fibre-optic broadband in rural communities. Staffordshire County Council and Openreach were in attendance.
Members of the parish councils contacted Ms Kniveton to say that local broadband speeds were having a detrimental effect to residents, particularly to those who work from home and to rural businesses who rely on good internet connectivity to meet customers.
Previously, Kate Kniveton MP worked successfully with residents in Upper Mayfield to deliver fibre-optic broadband to the rural community, much earlier than scheduled, through the Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.
Following the meeting, Ms Kniveton said she would write to the Secretary of State for the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan, to ask when the next phase of the Government’s Project Gigabit is likely to start in Staffordshire and when her constituents can expect to benefit from faster broadband.
Commenting, Kate Kniveton MP said:
“Today, broadband is as much as an important utility for households as electric and water. But even those that have internet might have a poor, even unusable service, if their broadband speed is so bad. That is why, it is important all our communities have access to fibre broadband, not just those in urban areas.
“The Government is investing £5 billion through Project Gigabit so people in hard-to-reach areas can get gigabit broadband, including, Croxden, Marchington, Denstone, and other rural areas surrounding Burton.
“I will be writing to the Secretary of State for the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to ensure my constituents in rural areas are able to get faster broadband speeds as soon as possible.”
