This week (Tuesday 19th May) Russell George, Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire, met with the Director of BT Wales, Ann Beynon, and the Director of the Superfast Cymru project, Ed Hunt, for an update on developments in Montgomeryshire and the rest of Mid Wales.
As Chair of the National Assembly’s Cross Party Group on Digital Communications, Mr George has long-campaigned for an improvement in broadband connectivity in Mid Wales.
Following the meeting, he said:
“I was pleased to hear from the BT Director in Wales that good progress is being made on rolling out superfast broadband across Wales and that around a third of properties in Montgomeryshire are already able to receive high-speed broadband.
“I was also encouraged to hear that BT are still committed to the Welsh Government’s stated aim to reach 96% of premises with a minimum of 24 Mbit/s by Spring next year.
“Both industry commentators and I have expressed concerns that some rural residents may be left behind and that this ambitious target wouldn’t be hit, so it is comforting to know that BT still believe they are on target.
“Nevertheless, I will still be looking for assurances from the Welsh Government that those 45,000 premises from across Wales, who will miss out from the initial rollout will be able to access superfast broadband at the earliest opportunity to ensure that Mid Wales remains competitive with its urban counterparts in an economy which is increasingly reliant on high speed broadband and mobile connectivity.
“I will also be looking for an improvement in the way in which both the Welsh Government and BT communicate to residents who will miss out and will be urging the Welsh Government to publish a comprehensive list of premises which they have already identified.”
Mr George added that he was pleased that the BT Director accepted his invitation to visit Montgomeryshire later this year.
Mr George urged people to contact him if they required further information about the Superfast Cymru project in their area.