THREE Somerset MPs have expressed their disappointment at a major setback in the rollout of rural fibre broadband, with one provider underdelivering by nearly 50 percent on its contract to connect homes.

Broadband provider Airband initially aimed to deliver fibre broadband to more than 55,493 premises in rural Somerset and Devon. The work, which was meant to conclude in 2024, will now only reach 27,171 premises.

Somerset’s MPs have now raised the setback in Parliament to urge the government to ensure the interests of communities that depend on broadband access for economic and social well-being are listened to.

The Westminster Hall motion in Parliament, moved by Sarah Dyke, MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, explored rural broadband provision in which she believed Somerset’s MPs “must work harder” to resolve the problems left behind by Connecting Devon and Somerset.

Tessa Munt, MP for Wells and Mendip Hills, intervened to say: “The reducing rate of network expansion across Somerset is absolutely shocking. Connecting Devon and Somerset has been a monumental failure.”

Meanwhile, MP for Bridgwater, Ashley Fox, emphasised the impact of Airband’s decision on his constituents, with a clear disparity in access for those living in the countryside compared with urban areas.

“If we are to ensure the prosperity of rural areas, investment in rural broadband and 5G must be a national priority”, Mr Fox commented.

Airband has been contracted four times by Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) since 2016. Earlier this year, Airband underwent a restructure and the company sought to scale back its broadband rollout in rural areas, which has since been confirmed.

In a statement, CDS said it was “extremely disappointed to see a reduction in coverage by Airband” but that both organisations would continue to work together to ensure that Airband will connect a further 8,377 more homes and businesses covered by the contracts.

It’s a situation that Cllr Mike Rigby, CDS Board Member and Somerset Council Lead Member for Planning, Economic Development and Assets, is also disappointed about.

Explaining the reasons behind the setback, Cllr Rigby said: “There’s no escaping the fact these are not easy times for the industry as many alternative network providers have slowed their build. If it was easy and profitable to build fibre broadband networks in rural areas, it would have done commercially by now. But it’s challenging.”

Chris Bryant, Digital Minister, responded to the concerns raised by the three Somerset MPs and acknowledged he would not treat the problem as simply an “urban versus rural” issue, owing to the complexity of broadband issues in different areas across the country.

The Minister invited Somerset’s MPs to speak with him, should they want to raise the issue further.