I welcome Openreach’s plans to connect homes and businesses in Carshalton and Wallington to gigabit-speed broadband.
I recently met with the Chief Executive of Openreach, Clive Selley, to discuss the importance of reliable and fast internet connection in Carshalton and Wallington.
99.5% of premises in Carshalton and Wallington already have access to superfast broadband, with Openreach committed to rolling out new ultrafast, ultrareliable full fibre broadband in all four corners of the UK.
I attended an event in the House of Commons, hosted by Openreach, to find out more about the work being undertaken to realise the Prime Minister’s ambition of reaching every home and business with gigabit capable networks by 2025. This will benefit people and businesses in Carshalton and Wallington.
I also met with engineers and apprentices from Openreach to see first-hand the work happening on the ground to upgrade the UK’s digital infrastructure.
Reliable and fast broadband is vital for my constituents. It was really useful to catch up with Openreach’s CEO, Clive Selley, and discuss plans to introduce gigabit-speed broadband.
It was also interesting to find out more about their employment opportunities, including apprenticeship schemes and jobs for veterans. I told them to keep up the good work!
Clive Selley, Chief Executive of Openreach, said:
“This has been an important event to show what we’re doing to improve the UK’s connectivity, but also to explain some of the ways in which MPs can help accelerate the roll out of full fibre broadband.
“There are challenges that limit the speed at which we install full fibre. These include getting permission to access properties when landlords are difficult to contact, meaning their tenants may be left behind. We are also subject to a business rates system that means we pay far more in tax for the technology we all want than on existing infrastructure. Addressing some of these issues will increase the pace at which we can install full fibre, for which we’ve recruited 6,500 more engineers in the last two years.”