Ashley Fox MP has welcomed confirmation from the Government that 1,450 previously overlooked properties across the Bridgwater constituency will now be targeted for faster broadband delivery through Project Gigabit.
This follows direct lobbying from Ashley Fox, who wrote to Sir Chris Bryant, Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms, in March expressing frustration on behalf of residents whose properties had been dropped following the scaling back of the Airband contract and yet had not been picked up by the new Openreach rollout. These properties - spread across rural communities such as Enmore, Goathurst, Stockland Bristol, and Steart, as well as parts of Wembdon and North Petherton - had faced prolonged uncertainty over if and when they would be connected.
In his response, the Minister confirmed that the Government “now aims to target these premises through Project Gigabit” and that they are being considered for inclusion in an amended Openreach contract due this summer. He further noted that several broadband suppliers have already expressed interest in delivering connections to these homes.
Ashley Fox said, “I’m pleased that the Government has now confirmed its intention to target these 1,450 homes through Project Gigabit. However, Project Gigabit’s national goal is to reach every home by 2030, which means some communities could be waiting until the very end of the rollout. That’s too long. I will continue to lobby for these connections to be delivered as soon as possible.”
