Complete the Local Enterprise Partnership survey here.
Anne Marie's letter...
Dear Reader,
I am writing in order to request that you back our bid for better broadband which, if successful, would secure the funding required to provide superfast and better broadband to over 300,000 businesses and households in Devon, Plymouth, Torbay and Somerset.
Looking at Devon specifically, I believe that 9% of Devon households and businesses receive either no connection whatsoever or they have poor internet speeds of less than 2Mpbs. 22% of Devon businesses unsurprisingly believe that poor internet connectivity constrains productivity and growth and 75% suggest making faster broadband widely available in the county would address this issue. The absence of a developed broadband infrastructure in Devon constitutes a real barrier for businesses and households in rural areas and the lack of a reliable and fast internet connection prevents us from ensuring our children are able to enjoy the best education possible.
Our Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership has prepared a bid to secure funding to bring a reliable and faster internet connection to 85% of businesses and households in Devon, Somerset, Plymouth and Torbay. I believe the bid is strong, but I also know that it is important for us to demonstrate to those making the final decision that we need and want investment in our broadband infrastructure.
To this end, our Local Enterprise Partnership has set up a website containing a survey that I and other local and regional elected representatives are asking people to complete. The survey is short and the results will be analysed and used in support of our bid for better broadband. If you believe as I do that securing better broadband coverage is important then I would encourage you to complete this survey and spread the word. Support from as broad a cross section of the community as possible will increase our chances of a successful bid!
The survey can be found at www.connectingdevonandsomerset.co.uk. Alternatively, please feel free to write to Ed Vaizey at The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2-4 Cockspur Street, London, SW1Y 5DH and let him know why you believe this investment is necessary. The deadline for completing the survey is the 18th of April 2011
I do hope you are willing to back our broadband bid.
Yours,
Anne Marie Morris MP
Newton Abbot
Link to Survey - www.connectingdevonandsomerset.co.uk