With South Down Sinn Féin set to launch a series of local Broadband clinics across the constituency, South Down MLA Chris Hazzard has appealed to rural residents in particular to engage with them in the weeks ahead.
Mr Hazzard, a member of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, said the events would “help bridge the gap for people currently unable to access a top-speed broadband service.
“South Down is a huge rural constituency and as a result we have many thousands of people sporadically dotted in-between towns and villages. It is little surprise that our constituency offices are inundated with appeals for help from those residents who experience broadband difficulty.
“I have met in recent days with BT Broadband Officials who are undoubtedly doing their best to bridge the current gap. However in certain cases BT are simply unable to provide areas with a broadband service and it is for this reason that I and my colleagues intend to provide local people with alternatives to BT Broadband.”
The clinics will travel throughout the South Down constituency, with a particular focus on areas with a recorded difficulty in accessing broadband. Mr Hazzard has encouraged people to get in touch with Sinn Féin offices to ensure areas are not missed.
He added: “The Stormont Assembly has recently published a consultation to help identify areas with a limited provision of broadband. I would encourage people to either feed in directly to this process or log their concerns with their nearest Sinn Féin office where they will be used to form part of our submission locally.”
Consultation responses can be logged before October 12th with South Down Sinn Féin on 02843770185 or alternatively via the public consultation below:
http://www.detini.gov.uk/deti-telecoms-index/deti-telecoms-whats-new.htm
