In the House of Commons, Minister for Digital, Matt Hancock, congratulated Robert Courts MP’s tireless work on getting increasing connectivity for rural areas.
Since becoming the Member of Parliament for West Oxfordshire, Robert has met with the Minister a number of times to press the importance of having access to high-speed broadband for both businesses and residents. He has further pressed for improved mobile phone signal, which is a significant issue in many villages in West Oxfordshire.
As more people are choosing to work from home, and more of our daily lives are based online, connectivity with broadband and mobile phone coverage is becoming increasing important.
West Oxfordshire District Council recently announced a new contract with Gigaclear to roll-out ultrafast broadband across the district. This will connect over 4,600 homes and businesses with fibre technology, and is supported by funding from Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Robert welcomes this excellent process and is pleased that West Oxfordshire is leading the way in delivering fast broadband to even the most rural properties. However, there is more to be done regarding mobile coverage, and he will continue to press for progress in 2018.
The Minister said, “I pay tribute to his personal leadership locally in delivering better connectivity across West Oxfordshire.”
Robert said, “I am glad the Minister recognises that hard work being done locally to ensure that all have access to these essential services. As a growing area with many thriving businesses, the need to connect is more important than ever. I will continue to press for more progress on this vital issue.”
