A Mid Wales Assembly Member has echoed calls from an influential Committee of AMs after it published a report into the Superfast Cymru project.
The Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire, Russell George, who also chairs the National Assembly’s Cross Party Group on Digital Communications, has added his voice to that of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee after it called for Superfast Cymru to improve the way in which it communicates to members of the public on the timetable of its broadband upgrade.
The Committee makes ten recommendations which range from ensuring that improvements are made to the way in which the benefits of superfast broadband are communicated, and ensuring that the extension of the project will not lead to further delays for premises that were included in the original contract.
Following the publication of the Committee’s report, Mr George said:
“My postbag continues to be dominated by frustrated residents and businesses asking for more clarity from Superfast Cymru about when or if they will have access to fibre broadband.
“I wholeheartedly agree with the Committee’s assessment that more work needs to be done to provide greater clarity about exactly when people are going to receive an upgraded service and provide definitive information to those residents and businesses who are going to miss out so that they can make alternative arrangements.
“It’s clearly good news that this ambitious project will eventually benefit 96% of premises in Wales, but due to its rural makeup, I’m concerned that a high proportion of the final 4% will be in rural Mid Wales.
“I’m therefore keen to ensure that these premises aren’t forgotten and I would like people to be told as early as possible about whether or not they are going to benefit from the project so that the viability of other solutions such as wireless, satellite and mobile broadband can be explored.
“In September, I chaired a roundtable discussion for community representatives in my Montgomeryshire constituency and was pleased that BT committed to making significant improvements to its website and committed to providing more detailed information for consumers on the projected availability of the upgraded service. This commitment now needs to be implemented without delay.
Today’s Public Accounts Committee Report coincides with a meeting of the Cross Party Group on Digital Communications which is meeting this evening (24th November) to discuss the Superfast Cymru project.
Mr George added:
“This evening (24th November), I am looking forward to chairing a meeting of the CPG on Digital Communications which will be hearing from the Deputy Minister for Skills & Technology, Julie James AM, and BT senior management on how the project is progressing.
“It will therefore be interesting to hear how they will look to adopt the Committee’s sensible and timely recommendations.
“As the project progresses, the Cross Party Group and I will also continue to scrutinise both the Welsh Government and Superfast Cymru on its rollout plan to ensure that those in rural Wales are afforded the same digital opportunities as their urban counterparts.”