Letter: Support is growing to tackle problems with rural broadband
Campaigners wanting superfast broadband extended to all rural homes and businesses have put a proposal to Shropshire Council and to all town and parish councils.
It suggests they work together to ensure that as close to 100 per cent of premises as possible are connected.
The reason behind the idea is existing and future sources of Government funding are unlikely to bring high-speed broadband to all premises. By harnessing the energies, ideas and additional resources, which could be in cash or kind, from a wider group, and encouraging communities to establish community broadband projects as has been done in many other parts of the country, the dream of superfast for all could be realised.
The Government has not served rural areas well with its current plans for broadband roll-out. There are many brilliant examples of community projects which could be replicated in Shropshire if the will exists. In other places, communities have dug their own trenches to lay fibre-optic cables, thus reducing the cost of connection.
At the moment we're trying to establish whether the will does exist and if the powers-that-be are willing to support the idea.
The existing plans could leave between five and 10 per cent of the population on slow connection speeds. This will hinder the rural economy, depress house prices and inhibit many other ways of working.
We've been promised a meeting with the three county MPs to discuss the matter and hope they will support us.
Last year the campaign group raised over 1,000 signatures on an electronic petition calling for the existing plans to be revised in favour of homes and businesses with poor or low broadband speeds.
As a result it has been promised a five-minute presentation at the next full council meeting at Shirehall, on February 27. Since then, however, support has grown even more, and now 36 parish and town councils have pledged support for the campaign.
Despite understandable reservations this would be an additional burden on rural taxpayers who have already contributed to rural broadband programme through their taxes, at least it could bring solutions where none currently exist
Patrick Cosgrove, Shropshire and Marches Campaign for Better Broadband in Rural Areas
