Contact/Cyswllt:  Sian Cliff
02920 898342 / sian.cliff@wales.gov.uk

Montgomeryshire Lib Dem and founder of the Assembly’s Mid Wales Cross Party Action Group on Broadband, Mick Bates AM, has written to the Deputy First Minister as he continues his battle for better broadband across Mid Wales.

Mick recently ran a successful campaign in his local newspaper, the County Times, which encouraged local residents to write in and highlight the problems that they face in accessing broadband. These coupons have now been sent on to the Welsh Assembly Government Department for the Economy and Transport to be added to the RIBS not-spot registration database.

Commenting Mick Bates AM: “I have been campaigning for a long time to raise awareness of the problem of access to broadband in rural areas. I am pleased that the current Minister for the Economy is finally taking the issue seriously.

“Broadband is a huge problem for people living and working in rural Wales and I am deeply concerned that for too long the Labour-Plaid Government has been failing the people of Montgomeryshire, who are still unable to access a broadband connection.

“I have written to the Deputy First Minister again to express my alarm at the number of companies in Mid Wales that have ceased trading or shed countless jobs in recent years. Companies such as Laura Ashley and Montgomery Thermostats, forced to close to the detriment of our local economy. Meanwhile other businesses such as Red Ridge Outdoor Pursuits Centre in Welshpool face a daily challenge to run a successful and efficient business without broadband.

“In a modern society which relies heavily on the use of internet, small businesses in Mid Wales need a strong infrastructure to support them if they are to survive and prosper.

“I am extremely concerned that people in Montgomeryshire are being let down by the Labour-Plaid Assembly Government, since it appears not to recognise that rural solutions to broadband may be different to urban solutions. I have asked the Deputy First Minister what plans his Government has to offer grant aid to businesses wishing to take action and resolve the problems for themselves.

“I have also asked the Deputy First Minister what steps his Labour-Plaid Government is taking to facilitate the installation of over-ground fibre optics, which offers a better solution to the outdated and unreliable copper wires. This investment is vital if we are to develop a future-proof high bandwidth, affordable data communications infrastructure for the future.”

In January Mick founded the Mid Wales Cross Party Action Group on BroadBand. This action group has since met with representatives from BT and OFCOM as well as the Minister for the Economy and the First Minister for Wales, to discuss the problems experienced under the current RIBS scheme and how these can be resolved under the next contract, so that broadband can be delivered to the remaining blackspots across Wales.

Commenting Mick adds: “There is still much work to be done to solve the remaining broadband blackspots. It is vital that the Labour-Plaid coalition takes swift action now and develops a new informed contract under RIBS. This contract must offer more than the 50% funding offered under the current contract, to be commercially viable for any service provider.”


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