New Government announcement for broadband in Cumbria still leaves questions unanswered - MP

Local MP Tim Farron says that a new announcement from the Government about improvements to broadband in the most remote parts of Cumbria still leaves questions unanswered.

In a letter to all six of Cumbria's MPs, the Government announced new plans to deliver full fibre broadband using the principle of "outside-in" where the hardest to reach places in the UK are connected at the same time as the easiest to reach.

According to the Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, Margot James, this means that premises in the South Lakes will likely be among the first in the country to be connected to the next generation of broadband infrastructure, giving them a connection with speeds of up to a gigabit per second.

However, Tim has raised concerns that the announcement fails to explain what the minimum speed is people will be able to expect from the new rollout.

Tim said: "It's really welcome news that the Government say rural areas are no longer to be left behind when it comes to broadband.

"However, what this new announcement is lacking is any sort of guarantee about the minimum speed that people can expect.

"Access to quick and reliable broadband is vital for many small businesses being able to function across the South Lakes.

"Previous approaches to broadband rollout have frequently been put to shame by community projects like B4RN - the Government need to match them and stop lagging behind."