Faster broadband on way to more Staffordshire homes
High-speed broadband will be available in parts of South Staffordshire by September 30, it has emerged.
South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson met with internet provider BT this week to discuss the ongoing project of rolling out the high speed service across the district.
Mr Williamson met with Bill Murphy, managing director of Next Generation Access for BT, after delays hit the area, in particular, Pattingham.
In discussions regarding Pattingham, BT said there had been a number of engineering problems when installing the 10 km 'spine', which is the fibre optic connection that runs from the cabinets.
There were a number of blockages in the installation of the 'spine', which has resulted in a number of re-routes and replacement ducts needed.
These re-routes would also mean the closure of a number of roads around the area.
A significant amount of work has already been completed and the remaining work will be completed with the full support from Staffordshire and Wolverhampton highways teams.
The work is now set to be delivered by September 30.
Mr Williamson said: "I would like to thank BT for meeting with me to discuss the continuing problems regarding the roll-out of broadband in South Staffordshire.
"There have been a number of engineering problems to the installation of the broadband cables which have caused a number of delays in the service being rolled out.
"I understand the frustration of residents when there are a number of delays to the service and I welcome the move by BT to inform customers if there are any future problems.
"Following the meeting I am glad BT have undertaken action to escalate the problem to see if they can to more to deliver broadband to Pattingham earlier than the September date.
"I am grateful for the update on Pattingham and I am committed to ensuring that the whole of South Staffordshire gets the high speed broadband that they pay for and that they deserve."
Customers can find out more on the current status of fibre broadband in their area by visiting the superfast fibre broadband availability checker on the Openreach website, available at www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/where-and-when
