MP’s anger over high speed broadband delays

WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones has expressed serious concerns about the roll-out of fibre broadband in a number of locations across her constituency.
There are particular problems in the Burtonwood, Winwick, Culcheth and Croft areas, she says.
The MP said: “In Burtonwood where I was told the exchange and some cabinets have been upgraded, people are still waiting for the activation which was promised a year ago.
“The scheduled completion date for upgrade work was changed from September 2014 to April 2015.
“A constituent was then told by BT,  that high speed broadband for Burtonwood had been put on hold indefinitely despite a BT spokesman reassuring people in the media that the roll-out would be completed by September.
“I have now been informed by BT that Openreach are working on four cabinets in Burtonwood and expect the first to be ready to accept customer orders within a month.  The remaining three are being constructed and it is expected that these will be completed by the end of the year.
“ The different messages coming out of BT have been confusing and inaccurate – the company have not come out of this well.  It is to be hoped that the work will be completed by the end of the year.”
The problems are even more severe in Winwick, Culcheth and Croft, she said.
“I am told that the exchange serving Winwick is enabled for fibre broadband but that the cabinet does not meet the supplier’s commercial criteria and is therefore not included in their roll-out plans.  As a result the issue would have to be looked at by Connecting Cheshire,  who with matched funding from the borough council  could agree to deploy the infrastructure needed to secure fibre broadband for the area.”
In Culcheth and Croft some areas don’t have fibre broadband because it is not commercially viable for BT Openreach to upgrade the cabinets.
The MP said: “Having fibre broadband is crucial for many businesses,  people who work from home and individuals.  People either receive or don’t receive the service depending on which cabinet serves their home or business – a cabinet-code,  rather than post code, method of selection.
“It is my view that BT should be aiming to upgrade every cabinet and provide a universal service across the country.
“I have just returned from a holiday in Northumberland where the most remote areas have fibre broadband but it seems BT can’t provide it in parts of a major town like Warrington.”