MP for South Shropshire Stuart Anderson has launched a staunch attack on the Government after the target for full national coverage of gigabit broadband was pushed back from 2030 to 2032.
He said more than 21,000 households within his constituency do not yet have access to the internet service offering download speeds of at least one gigabit per second.
It comes after Mr Anderson held a meeting with Openreach in Parliament to discuss the need for greater connectivity in his constituency.
The Conservative MP said residents should not be “made to wait” to be connected to the broadband.
In June, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivered the Spending Review that included £1.9 billion for broadband and mobile projects, but revealed a delay to the gigabit broadband roll-out from 2030 to 2032.
Stuart Anderson MP
Mr Anderson accused the Government of abandoning the promise to deliver full gigabit and national 5G coverage by 2030 that was included in its election manifesto.
He said: “Almost 43 per cent of premises in South Shropshire do not yet have access to gigabit-capable broadband, representing 21,422 premises in the constituency. We are also in the bottom five of all English constituencies for gigabit connection.
“The Government’s decision to delay the deadline for full coverage by two years breaks its election promise to deliver full coverage by 2030. The Spending Review pushes this back to by 2032. This is not good enough.
“Residents should not be made to wait even longer to be connected. That’s why I have urged ministers to confirm that there will be no unnecessary delays to the rollout across South Shropshire.”
Mr Anderson has called for the Government to make upgrading south Shropshire’s broadband an “urgent priority”.
He said the UK had 80 per cent gigabit-capable premises coverage as part of the last Government’s £5 billion ‘Project Gigabit’, that benefitted 3,400 premises across south Shropshire.