My Plan for North Devon 2024 onwards:
Much has been done to improve internet speeds across North Devon, but there is more to do with far too many experiencing poor mobile connectivity as well as poor transport connections by road, rail, bus, and active travel.
A recap on my 2019 priorities:
Expanding Broadband
Access to broadband has significantly increased, the number of premises in North Devon that have access to gigabit broadband in March 2019 was 3%, as of March 2024 it has now increased to 54%. Whilst superfast access speeds (>= 30 Mbps) is now at 94.2% from 90.3% in December 2019.
I personally brought Openreach to bring gigabit capable broadband into Lynton, one of the hardest places to reach and now has the fastest broadband in Devon. I have been supporting multiple Community Fibre Partnerships, in particular Mortehoe where they were able to bring down telegraph poles as part of the project at the heart of the AONB. There is more to do and there are still some very remote properties that are way behind where we should be, but most importantly we need to increase digital inclusion as whilst faster broadband is available to many it is not being accessed.
