It’s broadband or bust say rural businesses

Rural businesses have said they are suffering as a result of poor broadband speeds, and could go bust if things don’t improve.

Their warning came after the Government announced that three million homes and businesses in the UK could now get speeds of 24Mbps, deemed to be ‘super fast’.

Figures released by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) show that 2,905,764 premises are now covered by the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) scheme. This aims to deliver super-fast speeds across 95 per cent of the country by 2017, and “basic” broadband (2Mbps) by 2016.

BDUK is doing this by spending £530m to fund broadband in areas where it’s not commercially viable for companies to do so. BT has invested £415m to win the right to install the broadband – and subsequently collect the profits.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale hailed the news as “a huge achievement”. But many small rural companies say that they are missing out.

John Allan, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “For thousands of businesses in rural areas super-fast broadband speeds are not available and it’s holding them back from growing and investing”.

Sarah Lee from the Countryside Alliance agreed, slamming the UK’S rural coverage as “patchy and unreliable”.

Other representatives of rural areas expressed dismay. Speaking to BBC Radio 4 Steve Horner, a parish councillor for Yarcombe in Devon, said: “We’ve got 50 small businesses in the parish, and if those small businesses don’t have broadband, they won’t survive”.

The Government shows where it has delivered super-fast broadband on this Google Map: www.snipca. com/17660. You can also use its postcode checker: http:// gosuperfastchecker.culture. gov.uk.