Log on —

be heard!

One of the areas that I have pushed very hard on in Westminster is the securing of better Broadband coverage for local people and businesses.

So I was delighted when the Government announced it will invest £31-million to provide better coverage in Devon in Somerset. There is also the possibility of additional funding from DEFRA, another body I am lobbying.

The ambition here is considerable — by 2015, 836,000 additional businesses and homes in Devon and Somerset should have Superfast Broadband with almost all of us achieving speeds of at least 2 mbps.

It is vital we make this happen. Broadband is no longer a luxury –– personal communications, business transactions, access to public services all depend upon it. And in rural locations it particularly matters as it is often Broadband that can help ameliorate (though never remove) the relative disadvantages that rural areas have in terms of poor infrastructure and public transport when compared with more urban areas.

Research I commissioned via the House of Commons Library shows that a third of my constituents have 'low' internet access speeds compared with just 1.8% of those living in Hammersmith.

So here in and around Okey we have both an acute problem but also, through the investment coming our way, the possibility of something being done about it.

Which is why I have returned to this important issue this week – I need your help to ensure that Central Devon gets its fair share of the funding on offer. Please if you have a moment visit http://www.connectingdevonandsomerset.co.uk">www.connectingdevonandsomerset.co.uk and share your thoughts on the importance of internet investment in your area — and if the web page takes a little while to load then all the more reason to persevere and make sure that your voice is heard!