Talktalk Telecom : Norfolk leads the call to Fix Britain’s Internet

Norfolk leads the call to Fix Britain's Internet

Campaign for better broadband receives overwhelming response from Norfolk residents

Local MP Keith Simpson backs campaign and urges residents to have their say in the once in a decade review of the UK's broadband

More people in Norfolk than any other area in the UK have seized the opportunity to have their voice heard on the future of Britain's internet. Over the last few weeks, thousands of households and businesses across the county have contacted the telecoms regulator, Ofcom, to call for radical changes to the national internet network - BT Openreach.

This is a result of the campaign to Fix Britain's Internet, an initiative that is urging members of the public to have their say in Ofcom's once in a decade review of broadband in the UK.

BT's investment in Openreach has been broadly flat since 2008, leaving many people in the Norfolk area without fast, reliable broadband. This lack of investment has also had the potential to discourage people and businesses from moving to the area, as 47% of Britons now admit they'd think twice about moving to somewhere with poor broadband [1].

Now it would seem people living in Norfolk have had enough and are demanding change. To date, around 2,000 letters and online responses have been sent to Ofcom from Norfolk residents, with many more arriving each week. As the public consultation closes in less than two weeks, those who believe Norfolk, and indeed Britain deserves better broadband, are being urged to act now by visiting www.fixbritainsinternet.co.uk.

Keith Simpson, MP for Broadland, is backing the campaign and is hoping more people from his constituency take this opportunity to demand the broadband the nation deserves.

'It's terrible that we are forced to deal with some of the slowest broadband speeds not just in the UK, but the world.

'It's taking far too long for acceptable broadband speeds to be made available, particularly in Norfolk and in my Broadland constituency, meaning people aren't getting the internet they need and deserve to work, play or just stay connected. The current Ofcom consultation is a chance for us to finally change the state of Britain's broadband for the better and ensure everyone, no matter where they live, can enjoy the same fast, reliable Internet.'

Ofcom has already received tens of thousands of letters from around the UK, making it one of the largest public responses to a consultation the communications regulator has ever received.

How Norfolk Compares

• Norwich features amongst the top 10 slowest cities in the UK for broadband with an average speed of 19.43Mbps[2], a long way behind the UK average of 28.9Mpbs [3]

• Shortthorn Road in Stratton Strawless is one of the Top 10 slowest streets in the UK for broadband with speeds of 0.964Mbps [4]

• A survey of over 800 businesses and farmers in the East Anglia region revealed that 31% can only receive a home broadband connection that has less than 2Mbps [5]

• One in seven (14%) of those living in the Norfolk area believe that their internet is actually getting worse [6]

You can tell Ofcom directly what you want for Britain's digital future by visiting: www.fixbritainsinternet.co.uk now.

Notes to Editors

Five reasons why it's time to Fix Britain's Internet:

https://s.bsd.net/betteropen/main/page/-/Resources/TT_FBI_Infographic_v5.jpg

About the Fix Britain's Internet campaign

Fix Britain's Internet is a campaign that aims to fight for the best possible internet for Britain's communities. The campaign was started by an industry coalition comprising Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and the Federation of Communication Services - and we're growing every day.

We represent millions of consumers and businesses who rely on Openreach, but are let down every day, struggling to get the internet speeds they need. Together, we're asking Ofcom to be brave and make bold changes to create an Openreach that delivers the broadband Britain deserves.

For more information about the campaign to Fix Britain's Internet please contact the TalkTalk Press Office on talktalk@mhpc.com or 020 3128 6902

[1] Research conducted by Bilendi from a representative sample of 2,000 adults 26th - 27th July 2016

[2] https://www.uswitch.com/media-centre/2016/04/hull-hosts-uks-most-sluggish-urban-broadband-speeds/

[3] http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/broadband-research/nov2015/fixed-bb-speeds-nov15-consumer-summary.pdf

[4] https://www.uswitch.com/media-centre/2015/03/uks-worst-street-for-broadband-revealed-and-its-135-times-slower-than-the-fastest-street/

[5] Research conducted by Anglia Farmers' Digital Divide in 2016: http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/tech/poor_connectivity_continues_to_fail_norfolk_s_rural_businesses_1_4412613

[6] Research conducted by Bilendi from a representative sample of 2,000 adults 26th - 27th July 2016