Wealden MP Nus Ghani met with the Rt Hon Jeremy Wright MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to urge action on woeful rural broadband in Wealden.
Across Wealden, broadband provision is almost half the national average, with Wealden’s average download speed at just 26.4mpbs, while just 4 per cent of Wealden households have access to full fibre.
Towards the end of 2018, Nus ran a survey to thousands of residents across Wealden on broadband speed, including what service they expect to receive and what they actually receive. Of those surveyed, average download speed was just two thirds of what residents were paying for.
After meeting with Jeremy Wright, Nus is urging action to improve the rollout of rural broadband, as well as mobile coverage, across Wealden.
Nus Ghani, MP for Wealden, said: “In 2019, reliable internet access is no longer just a luxury, it is a necessity. Even though much has improved over the last few years, I know from recent surgeries in Frant and Wadhurst, as well as my broadband survey that this continues to be an issue.
“Our schools, businesses, farms and families depend on the ability to reliably access the internet at a decent speed. For far too many across Wealden, woeful internet connections limit the ability to do business, homework or even communicate effectively, restricting opportunities across Wealden.
“It was important to meet with the Rt Hon Jeremy Wright MP to press for action on rural broadband, and I was pleased to hear of his commitment to improving the rollout of 4G as well as fibre broadband in places like Wealden.
“Places like Eridge train station are all too often blackspots which can leave people in the dark for too long. I will continue to keep the pressure up to improve the provision and reliability of internet, both broadband and mobile, across Wealden.”
