Council asks - do you want better broadband?

The county council is lobbying BT and internet service providers to help get faster broadband in West Sussex and tackle the ‘not spots’ where people are unable to get broadband at all.

Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy Deborah Urquhart explained: “Using the internet is pretty much taken for granted nowadays, from doing research to shopping and paying bills.

“It’s also vital for many businesses, especially those which are run from home, and we want to do all we can to enable better broadband coverage in West Sussex.

“We want to hear from residents and businesses their views on broadband, whether they can receive it or not, and how improved internet access and faster speeds would help them.”

There are a number of ways to take part:

For those who already have internet access, visit the County Council website at www.westsussex.gov.uk/broadband to complete an online questionnaire.

For those who aren’t able to access the internet, paper copies of the questionnaire are available from West Sussex libraries and help points, or by contacting 01243 382147.

The deadline for responses is the end of December 2010.

Deborah added: “West Sussex has three of the four remaining ‘not spots’ in England and we want to do all we can to help our county have improved broadband coverage and speeds.

“We need to have broadband speeds better than the 2Mbps by 2015, as proposed by the government.”