RURAL AREAS WOULD MISS OUT ON HIGH SPEED BROADBAND UNDER TORY PLANS

Local Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, Dr Charles West, today stressed the importance of high speed broadband for business and the economy in rural areas, but said Conservative plans to rely solely on the market to deliver would mean parts of Shropshire missing out for years to come.

Commenting on a recent speech by Jeremy Hunt on media deregulation, Dr West said:

"The Tories' blind faith in the markets completely misses the point. It isn't good enough to simply deregulate and hope the market will make everything better.

"Their plans to allow the market alone to deliver high speed broadband will mean rural areas missing out for years to come. Without some intervention, the digital divide will widen.

"Deregulation has a part to play, but the creation of universal broadband needs active support, not passive optimism."

ENDS

Note: Dr. Charles West is the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Shrewsbury and Atcham