
North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has today challenged the Welsh Government after the Minister for Skills and Science dodged his questions in the Chamber on Broadband access in Wales.
Speaking in today’s Welsh Conservative Assembly Debate on Digital Infrastructure, Mr Isherwood expressed concern regarding FibreSpeed North Wales and the provision of Broadband in rural Wales, which, he said, continues to affect holiday park businesses in North Wales and their ability to meet the demands of customers.
Speaking in the Chamber, he said:
“Although digital connectivity is now critical to our day-to-day lives, too many communities across Wales face high levels of digital exclusion – and Wales has the highest rate of non-internet usage in the UK.
“In North Wales, I have attended two meetings with the British Holiday and Home Parks Association Clwyd branch and BT Wales’ Next Generation Access Manager to address the provision of Broadband in rural Wales, which continues to affect park businesses and their ability to meet the demands of customers – the visitors on whom the North Wales tourist economy depends.
“The BT programme Manager has proved an invaluable contact for them, providing information on current and future provision, including the Welsh Government scheme to help businesses such as these to access Fibre on Demand.
“However, park businesses have told me that the problem is finding someone to sell them the product. BT Local Business denied all knowledge of it, and when they finally tracked down a company prepared to sell this, it was in England. As they state, it gripes them to go to an English company to buy a Welsh project that is financially supported by the Welsh Government. They added that the monthly retail price puts it out of the reach of many businesses in Wales.
“Against England’s target of making a superfast connection available to 95% of premises, the UK Government published the findings of its £10 million Innovation Fund Pilot for the final 5% most remote communities in February - so when and how will the Welsh Government take action to reach the final 4% of premises after the 2017 target for Superfast Cymru to reach 96% of properties here?”
Regarding FibreSpeed North Wales, Mr Isherwood said: “The Welsh Government made a significant investment in this, understood to be many millions.
Questioning the Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology here in June 2014, I referenced a letter sent to Members by Fibrespeed, expressing concern that the FibreSpeed investment had been overbuilt by Superfast Cymru and that they were seeking guidance from the EU Commission on potential breach of State Aid rules.
In an October 2014 letter to Members, the Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, who is also the current Minister for Skills and Science, responded to my question, stating that: ‘Through discussions with FibreSpeed Ltd, and via a prior legal/technical exercise undertaken by Welsh Government, the 2014 Open Market Review has determined that the 793 postcodes serving business only premises will now be included in the scope of the new superfast Cymru Infill project – on the basis that Fibrespeed does not intend to provide broadband connectivity to business premises in the future and its pricing is deemed unaffordable.
“So, Minister, the Welsh Government has some serious questions to answer - how many Millions of public pounds were wasted on a Welsh Government project resulting from a Welsh Government tender, what went wrong and why were Fibrespeed placed in this position?”
Mr Isherwood added: “The Minister’s failure to refer in her response to my questions on FibreSpeed North Wales, on Fibre on Demand or on the final 4%, only adds to concern”.
ENDS