John Penrose, Weston’s MP, has welcomed news that three new fibre broadband networks are set to expand into Weston, Worle the surrounding villages.
Throughout February and March, John met with CityFibre, TrueSpeed and Virgin to discuss Weston’s need to move from frustratingly slow broadband speeds and limited coverage in some neighbourhoods, to industry-leading, reliable infrastructure that will allow local businesses and residents to use the Internet’s full potential. All three firms have now pledged to roll out much faster rival services across different parts of Weston during 2020 and 2021.
The need for better broadband has become even more important with social distancing during coronavirus, particularly when local residents have become so frustrated with BT Openreach’s existing network which underpins most existing services, and with the Connecting Devon & Somerset project, which was supposed to improve speeds in rural villages, but has been plagued with problems.
John said: “Like everywhere else, modern Weston is increasingly reliant on good Internet speeds, and social distancing during coronavirus has only made it more important. From Weston college teaching the latest online skills, to innovative tech start-ups, established local businesses, families streaming TV shows or kids playing FIFA and Minecraft, we all need fast, stable broadbandnowadays. These three new firms will offer a range of different speeds and prices, so there should be something to suit everybody. But most important of all, we won’t be stuck with having to use broadband firms that all depend on BT Openreach’s underlying network anymore. The days of ‘take it or leave it’ should soon be over.”