As the Superfast Cymru contract reaches its conclusion, calls have been made for the successor project which begins in January 2018, to learn from the scheme's mistakes.
Responding to a statement from the Welsh Government Minister responsible for the fibre broadband rollout in the Senedd this week, Russell George, Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire, and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Economy & Infrastructure, criticised the Welsh Government for the ongoing communications issues which continue to plague the project as well as a lack of focus on encouraging take-up.
Speaking after the statement, Mr George said:
"The Superfast Cymru project has undoubtedly improved the availability of fibre broadband across Wales, and this is very much to be welcomed. However, it is undeniable that the Welsh Government have failed to deliver on their 2011 commitment to ensure that all residential premises and businesses in Wales have access to next generation broadband by 2015.
"The original open market review identified 45,000 premises in Wales that would not benefit from the project but this has now grown to 98,000—over double the original number.
"The project is also still plagued with communications issues, which see residents being told one month that they’ll have access to fibre broadband by a certain date, only to be told a few weeks later that they won’t receive it at all. This is unacceptable and I have sought assurances from the Welsh Government that any successor scheme has a contractual obligation built into it that will see an improvement in public communications.
"In my view, the Welsh Government must also place a greater emphasis on encouraging take-up and ensure that the broadband voucher schemes, which are available to support residents and businesses who remain outside the scope of the Superfast Cymru project, are sufficiently flexible for people to obtain an alternative solution if they find that they are unable to benefit from the scheme.
"I would also like to encourage everyone to view the interactive map of those premises which will be included as part of the successor scheme and take part in the four-week public consultation which closes on 13th July to ensure that all premises which should be included, are included in the new scheme so that nobody in Montgomeryshire misses out unnecessarily."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
To read a copy of Welsh Government statement and Mr George's response, please follow this link:https://www.russellgeorge.com/news/statement-update-superfast-broadband
The interactive map is available here - http://lle.gov.wales/map/ngaomr2017?lang=en#m - and the public consultation is available by following this link to the Welsh Government website: https://consultations.gov.wales/consultations/next-generation-access-broadband