This week sees Parliament return after what has been a
really busy Summer Recess for me down here in Mid-Cornwall.
I am looking forward to what will no-doubt be a busy
schedule in Parliament this Autumn, dominated by Brexit. It was good to see so many
local people, businesses and organisations over July and August. It was also
great to see continuing investment in Cornwall’s infrastructure, including our
broadband network.
The first phase of Cornwall’s Broadband infrastructure
programme, Superfast Cornwall, has so far provided an estimated £275 million
annual boost to the economy of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, creating
around 3,000 new jobs and safeguarding 3,400. An estimated 16,150 businesses
have connected to high-speed fibre broadband with the technology helping the
creation of around 3,300 start-up businesses.
Earlier in August I welcomed the announcement of the third
phase of the Superfast Cornwall programme. This £17.6 million deal will see the
latest Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology – capable of delivering speeds
up to one gigabit per second (Gbps) – rolled out to more than 7,000 premises across
Cornwall by the end of 2019.
Last week I was pleased to meet with BT and Superfast Cornwall
to discuss the programme, including which areas in Mid-Cornwall will be
connected in this next phase. We are making good progress and by the end of
2019 almost all premises in Mid-Cornwall will have a broadband connection. This
programme will include some of the most remote and challenging areas to connect
that I have been pressing BT on for some time. This is real progress and good
news for our rural communities.
At the end of this latest stage of the programme, there will
still be an estimated 8,000 premises in Cornwall that will have broadband at speeds
less than adequate and I look forward to working with Superfast Cornwall and
Cornwall Council to ensure these properties do not get left out. These
proposals include a grant scheme from Cornwall Council and a subsidised
Superfast Satellite Scheme.
It is clear though, that in the increasingly digital age we
live in, the importance of having decent broadband connections, both for
business and leisure purposes, will only continue to grow. I look forward to
continuing to ensure that in Mid-Cornwall we continue to get the best from the
broadband infrastructure programmes available.
My team and I are here to serve
the whole constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of
everyone needing support. The office is open to the public Monday – Friday
10.00am – 4.00pm (no appointment necessary). If there is an issue you would
like my assistance on then please, either visit the office or contact me on
either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice
surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events
