Poor broadband service causes social exclusion for rural North East

Jun 1 2009 by Sam Wood, The Journal

MANY rural areas of the North East still have poor or no access to broadband internet services, a new study has revealed.

The map, produced by website BroadbandSpeedChecker.co.uk, reveals black holes in broadband access throughout Northumberland and County Durham.

Lack of access to fast broadband is creating social exclusion, as well as harming business in rural areas, experts said.

The Government has said that by 2012 all homes should have access to broadband at speeds of at least 2mb.

But the map shows that many areas still only have access to speeds of less than 512kb, while some have no broadband at all.

And Lib Dem MP for Berwick, Sir Alan Beith said: “There are still areas which have no access to broadband, particularly round parts of Rothbury, but also large parts of the rest of Northumberland, in areas like Coquetdale.

“It could really help the local economy if broadband was available for all, particularly people who work from home.

“The Government should be doing more to get more access, the technology is there to do it. There is really no argument.”

Northumberland County Councillor for Rothbury, Steve Bridgett, said: “Years ago we were promised faster broadband, not just for Rothbury itself but for the more rural areas around it. That hasn’t happened.

“Speeds in the village have got better but there has been nothing for the surrounding areas.

“There are still large parts with no broadband, it’s about time something was done, the internet is such a big part of peoples lives these days.”