The CLA, which represents landowners, farmers and rural businesses, has urged Government to put an end to broadband inequality in response to the update released today on the roll-out of superfast broadband.

CLA Director of Policy and Advice Christopher Price highlighted the issue on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme.

Mr Price comments: “Government should not be congratulating itself until we have universal broadband provision, for all homes and for businesses everywhere. Rural firms and countryside communities have been strangled by poor or non-existent broadband for far too long. The roll-out programme highlighted today is important and we acknowledge the success it has achieved, but for thousands of homes and businesses with no, or inadequate, broadband this announcement will not be a reassurance. Too many targets have been missed and promises not fulfilled over recent years.

“It is not acceptable that there is still no plan for reaching five per cent of the homes and businesses in the country, and minimum standards of securing broadband access at 2Mbps per second is simply inadequate. We need a much more ambitious approach to finding ways to get fast broadband to the hardest to reach areas and that requires investment.

“That is why the CLA continues to press for Government to commit to a legal Universal Service Obligation of at least 10Mbps for provision of a fast and reliable broadband. Lack of access to broadband is the single largest barrier to growth and job creation in our rural communities. Until we have universal service this will perpetuate inequality of opportunity between our towns and cities and our rural communities.”

The roll-out figures can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/three-million-more-uk-homes-and-businesses-can-now-get-superfast-broadband