Hundreds of Plymouth homes 'unlikely to have superfast broadband by 2017'

Hundreds of homes and businesses around Plymouth will still be without access to superfast broadband in two years time, MPs have claimed.

According to recent data, more than one in five premises will likely be left without superfast speeds - classified as speeds of at least 24 Megabits per second (Mbps) - in at least 17 parliamentary constituencies.

With the clock ticking down on the government’s 2017 deadline for bringing superfast broadband to 97 per cent of the country, MPs are facing pressure to ensure their constituencies don’t get left behind.

Yet there will likely be huge variations and blackspots in coverage, with the country’s most rural areas missing out. This includes Torridge and West Devon, where 21 per cent of premises will be unlikely to gain access.

Tory MPs have voiced their concern over this ‘digital divide’, claiming that rural businesses will struggle to grow without fast internet speeds.

Graham Stuart, the MP for Beverley and Holderness and Chair of the all-party parliamentary group on rural services, said: "Whether you live in the city or in the countryside, broadband is now an essential utility. Yet too many businesses in rural areas don't have access to the broadband they need to expand."

The most recent data revealed that considerable progress has been made in equipping the country with superfast speeds, with 3.3 million homes and businesses gaining access since 2010 - increasing superfast broadband from 45 per cent of premises to 83 per cent.

However, ministers admit that the “demanding terrain and increased distances” of some rural areas in the British Isles will make it “prohibitively expensive” to connect 100 per cent of premises.

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