Helen demands answers as Freedom Fibre fails in North Shropshire

MP Helen Morgan is demanding urgent answers after it was revealed that a Government contract to deliver high-speed broadband to rural homes across North Shropshire will not be fulfilled.

Freedom Fibre had been contracted by Project Gigabit to connect 12,000 hard-to-reach properties in North Shropshire but will now only be connecting 3,500 premises. It has a further 1,000 properties to connect before its contract with the Government ends on the revised date of 30th June.

Helen has been raising concerns with the Government since Freedom Fibre dropped out of its Cheshire contract in March.

Constituents who had previously been promised a connection by Freedom Fibre were recently told that was no longer the case, with no explanation, yet until this week Helen was assured that there were no issues with Freedom Fibre’s ability to fulfil the contract.

On Wednesday the MP is meeting Freedom Fibre and Building Digital UK, the Government organisation responsible for Project Gigabit contracts, to demand answers.

Project Gigabit was launched to improve broadband connections in villages and hamlets in places like North Shropshire which tend to be ignored by commercial companies.

Gigabit broadband is available in just 63% of North Shropshire, compared with 83% of the West Midlands. Areas like Prees, Pant, Trefonen, Ellesmere and Baschurch are in the worst 10% of areas in the UK for internet speeds.

Helen is a vocal campaigner for improved broadband and mobile signal and chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Digital Communities which works across the political divide to investigate connectivity issues.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said, “This is extremely disappointing news for the huge numbers of people in North Shropshire who are forced to put up with awful internet and mobile connections on a daily basis.

“Serious questions must be asked of the Government when a contract is awarded to a company that is only able to fulfil 30 per cent of its obligations.

“I am urgently seeking answers about how the thousands of residents affected will get the broadband they were promised.”