MINEHEAD’S MP will meet with the minister for telecoms to discuss “unfulfilled promises” of faster broadband in rural areas in her constituency.

Rachel Gilmour, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Minehead, has welcomed the proposed meeting with Chris Bryant, the Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms, later this month to discuss the severe issues with the broadband.

According to the House of Commons Library, the Tiverton and Minehead constituency has one of the highest percentages of lines receiving speeds lower than 10 Mbps in the entire country, with 11.2 per cent of lines receiving speeds lower than 10Mbps (as of 2023).

This percentage is a stark contrast to the national average which is 3.6 per cent of lines receiving speeds lower than 10Mpbs.

Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) had an original agreement in place with Airband UK for broadband improvement. However, the announcement of an Airband ‘scale back’ on contract agreements has meant that thousands of homes in Devon and Somerset will now not be receiving updated connections.

In November, Mrs Gilmour asked the following written question in response to the announcement on scaling back: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to support rural households in Tiverton and Minehead constituency with gaining broadband connections, in the context of (a) Connecting Devon and Somerset and (b) Airband deciding to scale back Airband’s contract agreements to deliver full fibre to properties in the region.

Responding to the announcement of this month’s meeting, Mrs Gimour said: “In today’s economy, having a fast broadband connection is vital. My office has been contacted by constituents regarding unsatisfactory Wi-Fi speeds and unfulfilled promised connections across the constituency, as far too many people in Tiverton and Minehead feel utterly cut off from the outside world.

“Following Airband’s scale back, I have previously raised this issue with the Minister in November. I now welcome this opportunity to meet with Minister Chris Bryant, where I hope to be given an update on broadband improvement, so that all constituents in Tiverton and Minehead can have access to high-speed Wi-Fi connections, which are vital to modern life.”