2nd November 2011

WEST DORSET: Downtown Abbey star joins 'Can't Get Online' campaign

RURAL champions, the Country, Land & Business Association, have launched a campaign designed to highlight the problems of rural areas still struggling to access broadband, and have the backing of a top television celebrity who also suffers the same problem.

The CLA’s campaign ‘Can’t Get Online’ is a counterbalance to the Government’s week-long promotion running this week (from October 30th until November 6th) encouraging people to get online.

The association’s aim is to ensure that every rural business and household can access a broadband connection of at least five megabits per second.

The problem, according to CLA experts, is that a fifth of rural England still cannot access even modest broadband speeds.

The campaign has already won the backing of Downton Abbey star, Hugh Bonneville, who plays the Earl of Grantham in ITV1’s popular period drama.

Hugh lives in a village just 40 miles outside London but he says the broadband connection is “pretty pathetic” and wants infrastructure companies to give the countryside a chance.

He said: “I’d love to run aspects of my work from home; I’d love to sign up for services that stream content but the connection’s just too unreliable. Some days I can’t even send an email and there doesn’t seem to be much I can do about it.”

The week-long ‘Can’t Get Online’ roadshow, which is sponsored by the CLA, will see IT and social media expert, John Popham, touring rural communities across England to highlight the difficulties they face in getting online.

He will be encouraging people with inadequate or non-existent broadband to find a friend with a broadband connection and sign the CLA petition calling for a minimum universal service commitment of five megabytes.

CLA South West director, John Mortimer, said: “In today’s world it is just not acceptable that broadband providers can choose to ignore rural areas.

“The Government wants us to fill in tax returns online because it’s more cost-effective and schools expect children to do homework online.

“This is only possible if homes and businesses have access to superfast broadband - internet service providers must be persuaded to bring broadband ‘not-spots’ up to speed rather than making the already fast even faster.”

People can sign the CLA petition at www.cla.org.uk/Policy_Work/Petitions

Anybody who cannot access the petition can call the CLA regional office and leave their details to be added to the petition. The CLA in the South West can be contacted on 01249 700200.

PICTURE: ACTOR Hugh Bonneville has joined the CLA’s campaign for better broadband in rural areas

WEST DORSET: Downtown Abbey star joins 'Can't Get Online' campaign

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