MP urges Government to stop dragging its feet over broadband speed promise

Local MP Tim Farron has written to the Leader of the House of Commons to urge the Government to get on with fulfilling its promise of providing universal high-speed broadband.

Under the Government's Universal Service Obligation, 10Mbps is the minimum speed that anyone in the UK would be entitled to request, but there has yet to be a date set for when the bill to make this law would go through Parliament.

In a letter to Andrea Leadsom, Tim said that the Government's inability to act quickly on this is leaving local businesses in the dark.

Tim said: "At the moment around one in four people in the South Lakes have a broadband connection of less than 4Mbps, which is frankly not good enough.

"Many small businesses in rural areas like ours are finding it impossible to function without adequate broadband and desperately need the Government to stop dragging its feet and get on with making high-speed broadband a legal requirement for everyone."

Tim has also highlighted the work of local group B4RN to connect rural communities to fibre-optic broadband. He recently joined a team of volunteers in Old Hutton to help dig the trenches for new connections in the area.

Tim said: "The amazing work done by the local B4RN team means that superfast broadband is now reaching communities which would not have been served otherwise, and is also a huge benefit to residents and businesses alike.

"I really enjoyed spending time with the team as they are a wonderful example of people literally working shoulder to shoulder for the greater good of their local community."