Dear Mr
Tate
I write to
update you on the campaign to get Broadband for South Warwickshire. As you may
be aware Southam exchange will be Broadband enabled on Wednesday 28`' May.
Alcester have 266 of the 350 required registrations for the exchange to be
enabled and Wellesbourne have 176 of the 400 needed. BT are set to publish a
new group of trigger levels in the near future and I have been lobbying them
to include other exchanges across South Warwickshire.
I have also
been in touch with Advantage West Midlands to see what alternative
technologies might be made available in rural South Warwickshire. These are
continuing. I have also approached the South Warwickshire Business Partnership
for support and all the local newspapers.
I remain committed to this cause and enclose a copy of a recent
debate from the House of
Commons about the issue secured by my colleague Rt. Hon Sir George
Young MP. I am trying to secure a long term
solution as well as the immediate need for trigger levels in rural
exchanges.
If you have any more thoughts on the subject
then please do contact me again.
Yours sincerely,
John R Maples
pdf file of the letter is here, the "recent debate" is
available here
Dear Mr Tate
BT Broadband
Thank you for your e-mail. I was most interested to learn. that you have
started a campaign to publicise the need to register with Internet providers
if people want BT Broadband.
I have been in correspondence with both DEFRA and BT over the past few months
about the provision of BT Broadband to local communities and I enclose copies
of my letters and the replies received from Alan Michael on behalf of DEFRA
and Ben Verwaayen, Chief Executive of BT.
From the Minister's letter you will see that the Government do appear to be
aware of the problems and are trying to do something; however, I don't think
this is going to result in the kind of speedy progress that you are looking
at.
I am looking into this matter in rather more detail and plan to talk to the
people at OFTEL about it to see whether there is anything more we can do to
speed up progress.
Yours sincerely,
John Maples
