How is it possible that Bath ranks dismally 444 out of 650 constituencies for Gigabit broadband access, despite substantial government investment since 2021? With only 62.8% coverage, Bath lags far behind not only other urban heritage cities like Edinburgh, but even rural areas like North Dorset, which embarrassingly boasts higher connectivity rates. This digital divide is threatening Bath's future economic competitiveness and social progress.
Given this sluggish progress, the partnership between private companies and the Liberal Democrat-led BANES council, responsible for the rollout, seems ineffective. Is this apparent hesitancy towards embracing ultrafast broadband to do with the unwarranted fears some in the Council have expressed about 5G? Bath's leadership must prioritise the modernisation of our infrastructure to ensure fair and equal access to high-speed internet, a fundamental necessity in today's interconnected world. Without this, Bath will fall behind more business-friendly cities.
This letter was sent to the Bath Chronicle for its letters page, please let me know what matters to you by completely my survey.
