MP Stresses Importance Of Better Broadband For Wrexham

Wrexham’s MP Ian Lucas has met with BT to stress the importance of broadband links to his constituency. Mr Lucas met with top-level staff from BT Wales at Westminster last week to discuss the broadband infrastructure for Wrexham and North Wales.

BT received a contract from the Welsh Government earlier this year to upgrade the broadband network across Wales by 2015. The multi-million pound deal is being funded by the Welsh Government, the UK Government and by European funding.
However, the project is also subject to rules on state aid funding and needs approval from the European Commission.

Mr Lucas said: “I made clear during the discussions with BT just how important improvements to broadband are for Wrexham. Investment by the Welsh Government in our local economy led to the opening of the industrial estate link road this year.

“Those improvements in physical infrastructure need to go hand in hand with improvements in our communications infrastructure. Wrexham needs to compete with Chester, the Midlands and the North West and investment in faster broadband is a crucial element to that competition.

“That is why I met with BT to push the issue this week, and why it is vital that a ruling on state aid is made soon to ensure this investment goes ahead.”

We have seen a few BT vans around town doing physical upgrades, plus have been contacted by people via twitter spotting similar:

@wrexham BT starting groundwork for fibre broadband in Acton area. New cabinet on Glyndwr Rd and markings for ducts and routing cable :)

— Mr Steven (@l4vem) September 14, 2012

Hopefully all part of a wider improvement to connectivity in and around town!

(Our Picture: Ian Lucas at the opening of the new Industrial Estate link road)