Updated: Deputy council leader calls on Welsh Government to solve “final hurdle” of superfast broadband in rural communities

The deputy leader of Wrexham Council has asked the Welsh Government to take urgent action to solve outstanding issues with broadband connectivity in rural areas in the County Borough.

Cllr Hugh Jones, who represents the Rossett constituency, has written to Ken Skates, Welsh Government cabinet secretary for environment and transport, asking him to ensure the issue of completing final connections is solved.

Efforts to roll-out superfast broadband through Superfast Cymru began in 2013.

But while main connections and streetside cabinets have been upgraded, connections from the cabinets to people’s homes still need updating in some areas before residents have full access to superfast broadband.

Cllr Jones said: “I know the Welsh Government has invested a lot into the roll-out of superfast broadband, and Mr Skates has indicated to me that further funding has been released to resolve current issues around connectivity.

“But for many people – some of whom run small businesses from their homes – the final, crucial hurdle of connecting cabinets to homes still hasn’t been completed.

“If the cabinets aren’t connected to customers’ homes, then for those customers, the investment already made and the work already carried out makes little to no difference in terms of their connection.

“And this isn’t just about small, isolated rural hotspots – these are substantial rural communities. And it seems to be a fairly common problem across North Wales.

He added: “It’s incredibly frustrating, because the larger part of the work has been completed – it’s the fact that the final hurdle hasn’t been solved that’s causing these problems.

“And I suspect it must be frustrating for Welsh Government as well, given the lack of service to residents in spite of the level of investment made.

“I’ve written to Mr Skates, urging him to ensure that the all-important final connections are made across North Wales.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Wales’ digital landscape has been transformed by the intervention of Superfast Cymru, bringing fast broadband to areas which weren’t going to receive it in any other way.

“Since the project began, the availability of superfast broadband across Wales has more than doubled thanks to the programme with more than 684,000 premises now with access.

“We want to go further though and earlier this year we announced a range of measures to further extend fast and reliable broadband coverage in Wales. Our preparations for the successor scheme are well advanced with the tender exercise ongoing and expected to conclude in June.

“We are aiming to announce the successful bidders before the end of July with deployment work commencing as swiftly as possible after that.

“Our Access Broadband Cymru and Ultrafast Connectivity Voucher Schemes are also available for those currently without access to superfast broadband.”